Novus Initium
by Chiaki Yumi
Summary: After 5 years since the attempt of The Fall, everyone involved had moved on with their lives... but what happens when a girl who looks exactly like her, appears in front of him? Regrets, desires, and memories resurface, and a new threat arises as remnants of The Fall haunt them. ON LOOONG HIATUS :(
1. Chapter 1: She's Back?

Everyone...?  
>I guess they finally remember...<br>_I'm glad... I'm so glad..._  
><em>Ah... But I feel so sleepy...<em>  
><em>I feel so tired...<br>I feel very light...  
>I wish I could see them again...<em>

"I'm glad I met you..."

_I wanted to reply...  
>But I can't even open my eyes anymore...<em>

_I wish... I wish I can stay with everyone..._

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter 1: She's Back?<strong>**

**April 1, 2014-Tuesday**

"Tch. Can't believe I forgot to buy more milk."

The tall brunette mulled over himself as he turned to the door. He was wearing a black turtle neck shirt and long brown pants.

"Arf!" A bark echoed from behind him.

The man brushed back his unkempt dark-brown hair before turning to the white furball. He smiled at the dog and crouched down, gently patting its head as it wagged its tail. "I'm just gonna grab some ingredients" he said to the mutt before getting up.

It barked again with its pleading bright red eyes directed at him.

"Yes Koro, I'll be sure to get you some treats. Now, go back and be a good boy" he chuckled before closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>It was dark, the streets were quiet and barren, save for a few people walking here and then. Most were shady characters, but some were businessmen on their way home after a long day of work.<p>

The streetlights flickered as he passed through, hands on his pockets. No one dared come close to him. Perhaps it was because of his equally piercing eyes that he they avoided him. Either way, he shrugged off his surroundings as he continued on his way.

_'I hope the store is still open. It's s'posed to be... but that old man has some issues' _he sighed at the thought.

The brunette took out his hand and stared at his leather wristwatch- it was almost midnight. With another sigh, he slipped his hand back inside the pocket. He was thankful that the dreaded hour was not coming. Every time he was awake during midnight, it felt like it would, but it never did... This night though... he felt quite uneasy. He pondered a bit, before finally blaming it on the cold weather, after all, it was spring season.

"Looks like it's still open" he let out a small smile, staring at the convenience store.

As he approached, a suspicious silhouette of a female trying to peek inside the establishment from a afar caught his eyes. It was dark and difficult to see her face, but she was wearing the Gekkoukan High uniform. Strange... school's not starting until the 7th.

"Hey, what're you doing over there?" he called out in a gruff tone which seemed to have surprised the girl.

For a moment, she stepped back but stopped. The girl lowered her head as the man approached her. "U-um... Well... I haven't eaten..." she mumbled in a weak voice. "But... I don't have money..." she added, sounding embarrassed.

The man was rubbing the back of his head as he walked closer to the girl, "tch. Another one?" he shook his head, "standing around ain't getting you anywhere. People might think you're some burglar or somethin', c'mon, I'll get you a sandwich and send you home." He gently pulled her by the wrist, toward the well-lit store.

As they drew closer, the girl seemed as though she hesitated to follow him. Of course, he knew very well why. He's a stranger after all, not to mention, he was aware of how intimidating his appearance cane be. Ugh. What a pain- he thought. He turned back to assure his his little companion that it's alright... -Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. The moment he laid eyes on her, his gray eyes widened as if he saw a ghost.

The girl just stared at him dumbfoundedly, with her bright red eyes. Pale white skin, had reddish brown hair which were tied to the back and barrettes on her hair which form the roman numeral 22- those were the traits he knew so well.

_'It can't be her, because she's...!'_

* * *

><p>"You-" before he could finish his words, a shiver suddenly crept up his spine. It felt as if an ominous aura suddenly wrapped the area.<p>

The world didn't turn green or bloody like he feared though, no coffins neither. Even the lights still work... though they strangely stopped flickering. Such were the signs of the dreaded 'world' he had to experience every night during his teenage years- the Dark Hour; not seeing them made him feel some relief... however, after looking around, he noticed everyone seemed to have stopped moving. Then, he stared at his watch- it stopped at 12:00 AM.

At that moment, he felt confused. Was he dreaming things? It's not exactly the Dark Hour since there were no bloody streets and coffins... and yet...? He tried to process everything, when a voice called out from the behind them.

-"What are you two doing this late...?"

The two turned to the direction of the voice. Just like the girl, the man appeared as a silhouette hidden in the darkness of the night at first, but when he stepped under the light, the image of a middle-aged business man appeared. He had neat black and some white hair, coupled with his grayish eyes. The stranger was wearing a dull-gray suit complete with a red neck tie, and an equally dull-colored pair of pants.

"Couples shouldn't be out at this time... especially youngsters like you..." he spoke in a cold, chilly tone. The man approached them with a wide grin on his face.

For some reason, the younger man felt uneasy and hid the girl behind him. His face immediately twisted into a combination of rage and terror while he witnessed the events that follow-

This businessman's grin had widened so much as to reach his ears, his gray eyes had also turned hollow and dark, with a slight tint of gold. Before they knew it, his skin began bubbling and black slime oozed out from his body, starting from the mouth, ears and eyes. The slime covered him up and piled, creating a large slimy figure wearing some sort of blue mask was now in front of them.

The young man bit his lip and muttered the word "Shadow...".

"KEKEKEKE! YOU ARE NOW MINE TO FEAST!" it screeched with a thin, shrill voice.

The male clenched his fist and shoved away the girl. He took out a gun-shaped object from his pocket. Apparently, he always carried it around as a charm, or at least, when something of the sort happens. He never really expected that he'd be using it again though. At most, he had hoped it would've been a good item to scare off scums and muggers in case they decide to pester him. To think... he'd have to call out that thing again. He didn't want to, as much as possible, but as he had no weapon on hand right now, he knew he had no choice either way. Thus, he pointed the Evoker onto his head just like old times. "Stay back ya hear?" he told to the girl without turning.

She didn't respond. Her bright-red eyes were on the silver gun, as if she was in a trance.

The young male pulled the trigger...

"...?"

He pulled it again...

"The fuck...?" for a moment, he stared at it and then pointed it to his head, repeatedly pulling the trigger. Every time he did so, nothing happened. Could it be that he lost his ability to summon? Or was it broken? Either way, they're screwed.

The creature screeched and swung its claws at them.

The male finally gave up on his Evoker and kept it in his pocket, pushing the girl with him to dodge the attack. "Shit! Fucking stupid gun...!" he hissed as he held the girl's hand tightly, pulling her with him.

"H-hey...! I..." the girl attempted to call him out.

"Tch... Save that for later!" he growled.

* * *

><p>This Shadow resembled a Maya. An overgrown one. It chased them from behind, it was quite strange seeing all the people who stopped their motion. It's even stranger that the creature kept going for them instead of the frozen people... Why would it go after them? Getting the motionless targets would be easier, right...? Then again, maybe things around work like the Dark Hour? Like if you don't move, you can't be touched by them similar to the coffin thing?<p>

The couple kept running, the girl was huffing, the man was cursing. Finally, they reached the back alleys of the Port Island, a shady place filled with now frozen shady people. It wasn't the time to worry about that though, their main priority was to escape... except... they're at a dead end.

"KEKEKE... YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN AWAY?" It crept up from behind them.

The two were in a not so narrow alley filled with trash bins and trash bags on the sides. Their left and right were blocked by building walls filled with graffiti, while the behind had a tall, steel fence. It's possible to climb it, but should you use the bin as a step, you can reach the top.

The young man gritted his teeth and picked up a long wooden pole in the trash. It seemed to be used for hanging curtains or something, but it was broken off, so the tip had a jagged edge. "Kid, climb that thing and run" he commanded without turning to the girl before charging at the creature.

Again, it tried clawing him before he reached it, but with his quick feet, he was able to jump up the arm and slash its mask with the pole. His swing was so powerful that it immediately broke off, but it also sent the enemy screeching in pain.

"Heh. I still got it" he smirked.

The creature turned back to him and tried to attack with its claws again, but he was able to jump back. He charged at it again and swung what was left of the pole, but the creature caught it and threw him and sent the male crashing to the wall. Before he could stand, it followed up with another scratch.

"Ugh...!" he cringed in pain.

During the last attack, he was able to roll away, but was still injured by the creature. Blood dropped down from his right leg as it flowed on the cold floor.

"Are you alright?" the girl called out, running toward him.

His face twisted in pain, both from his injury and from seeing that the girl was stupid enough to still be there. "IDIOT! Why are you still here?!" he shouted angrily at her.

The girl flinched, but her attention was still on his injury. "S-sorry... I just..." She looked away with a apologetic look again.

He sighed and ruffled her hair, "tch... You two are so similar... it's scary..." he chuckled.

She blinked upon hearing his comment.

"I'M STILL HERE!" The creature hissed.

Their attention returned to the creature.

The girl trembled in fear while the man tried to stand, but to no avail.

"Leave me here... Run!" he barked.

The girl looked terrified. Shaking her head, tears started to fall, "no! I can't leave you...!"

"To go this far for a stranger... You're one annoying kid..." he chuckled again.

"YOU'RE IGNORING ME AGAIN! YOU COUPLES DISGUST ME!" It roared angrily, suddenly recapturing the attention of the two.

The man kept screaming to the girl to run, but the girl kept shaking her head as she cried. Finally, the creature released its attack, the girl was in front of the man, blocking the fiery explosion.

"Run you moron!" He shouted as the flame closed up to them.

It was as if time was moving in slow motion.

The girl turned to him with a gentle smile, "I'm not losing you again..."

His gray eyes widened at her words.

She began glowing in blue light and her skin began peeling of like shards of broken glass... It all happened within a short moment, and yet, it felt like an eternity. The flames engulfed the girl, soon covering everything in dark smoke.

He felt his heart sink, seeing that happen in front of him. Seeing that he wasn't able to do anything again. Seeing that he could not protect the girl. He gritted his teeth, pounding the ground with a fist... However, that feeling didn't last for long. The moment the smoke subsided, a partly familiar figure floated in front. She still had her long reddish brown hair, but her overall appearance was different. The girl looked like a combination of Messiah and Orpehus, 'HER' first and ultimate Persona. They were so similar, but this one was more feminine in appearance and had a white skirt, with that body, wings and head of Messiah, arms and legs of Orpheus, having a pure white and silver combination.

The man stared at her. She didn't summon a Persona... she turned into one? But... being Messiah and Orpheus... Does that mean she's...? Or was it just coincidence that they look alike?

"KEH... YOU...! YOU'RE A...?! WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR A HUMAN?" the Shadow growled in astonishment. It was staring straight at the girl... or whatever she was.

Her bright red eyes gleamed under the bright moon. "He is important to me..." she answered in a gentle smile.

For some reason, the young man couldn't help but blush at her answer.

The creature hissed in anger and attacked with its claws once more.

She didn't move.

The 'Persona' swung her arm and sent the creature flying before it reached her, making it splatter a few feet away. It regained its composure, but now, it looked angrier than before. Again it tried attacking, this time, with Agidyne. The creature released another burst of flame. Still, she didn't budge. The 'girl' placed her arms in front and simply brushed off the flame. It hissed in anger and threw a few more shots, but all the attempts ended the same with the fire being brushed off like a fly.

"Is that all...?" She said in a monotone voice. Her face showed no expression, and yet, it was terrifying in its own way.

The Shadow flinched.

"G-GEH...! D-DON'T... I WAS JUST J-JOKING...! I-I'M SORRY! WE'RE THE SAME AREN'T W-WE?" its voice was still thin and cold, but there was a hint of fright. It was evident that this giant Maya was now trembling in fear after realizing their gap in power, after all, she was able to brush off its most powerful attack with a wave of the hand.

The girl sighed and turned around, "pitiful..."

_'HEH! FOOL!' _If the Shadow had a mouth, it would be smirking right now.

It charged another attack of Agidyne while her back was turned on him. Before it realized what had happened, the Shadow disappeared in the face of the earth. It was frozen into a large pillar of ice which exploded afterwards, creating numerous specks on falling ice crystals everywhere.

She used Niflheim on it while it charged up its attack.

"No one gets away with harming him..." she muttered in an angry tone before glowing in blue light again.

The 'Persona' turned back to the girl and fell down on the arms of the man. He stared at her with his unbelieving gray eyes which seemed to scream 'No way...'.

He smiled as if forgetting the pain of his injury...

* * *

><p><strong>I've had this idea for some time now... I can't figure out how to start it out though... Or from who's POV to go with... I tried to start with her waking up or him finding her in the doorstep... In the end, I went with this...<strong>

**Anyway, as much as possible, I want this to focus on them XD**

**Since... I'm no good with battle scenes...**

**As for the title... Currently, I can't really think of anything... So I ended up with that... Novus is supposed to mean new, while initium is beginning. It was going to be the title of my other story, but I didn't use it, so I used it here.**

**I'm not yet completely sure how things will play out... So for now... That's all...**

**_Oh, and I'm accepting suggestions... Like side stories or something... So don't hesitate to PM me with it or post it in reviews..._**

**(P.S. Check the poll in my profile pls.? Also, you can check story progress there ;D)**

**-Persona 3 and any SMT series does not belong to me-**


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Tartarus!

_**Plot:  
><strong>_

_5 years after the attempt of The Fall, peace have returned and the Apathy Syndrome ended... Thanks to her sacrifice. Everyone had moved on with their lives, but his life goes crazy when a girl who looks exactly like her appears... _

_And another darkness threatens the world...  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Welcome to Tartarus!<strong>

No one understands why it was named as such. It was the name of a grim and terrible place. A hell... And yet, the place was heaven to most. Nice and simple furnishings, clean floors, well-lit area and most of all, the best food in the city. This place used to be a co-ed dormitory to a certain group of students who disbanded some four years ago. The building was to be demolished, but one of its tenants wished to keep the place and turn it into his own...

This was Tartarus, the best diner in the city. If you haven't been there, you're missing a piece of heaven...

* * *

><p><strong>April 2, 2014-Wednesday<strong>

"You're awake" The brunette said in his rough voice after putting down a tray on her desk. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted in the morning air. Her bright red eyes were still quite blurred since she had just woken up. The girl was lying on a rather large white bed. There was a desk on the left side, a closet to the far right and another smaller desk to the left which had a white lamp on top. Beside the lamp was a picture frame. It was a bit hard to make out the image because of the light streaming out from the windows beside the closet.

"So, wh-Whoa!" Before the man finished speaking, the girl suddenly stood up and glomped him in front, wrapping her arms around his waist. His face immediately flushed red at her sudden attack.

"Aragaki-sama! You're alright! I'm so glad!" She exclaimed happily. The male's face burned even redder as she tightened her hold. After a second or two, she suddenly let go after realizing her impulsive action.

"M-my apologies!" The girl bowed, feeling really sorry. Her face was bright red from embarassment. The young man coughed, turning his eyes away from the girl, though his face was almost equally red as hers.

"J-just eat..." He mumbled. The girl finally stopped apologizing after saying thos words and she sat down in bed, took her plate and began eating like there's no tomorrow. The man sat down on the desk's chair and faced her after regaining his composure.

"So, who're you?" The question was supposed to come out a lot earlier, if a certain someone didn't interrupt. He couldn't help but ask... They look exactly the same... Plus, with the events that night... She knew him, so they must have a connection... Though she should be a lot older by now. Still, their personalities seem different so far. This girl was polite and somewhat repressed to some extent, they seem to both be heavy eaters though, seeing the way she was eating now.

The girl put down her breakfast for a while and faced her male companion with a serious look on her face which was hard to take seriously because of the rice on her cheeks. "I'm Master Arisato's Shadow" She spoke in a serious tone. The man's eyes widened, there was a hint of confusion on his face.

"Well... More like Persona though, since I'm tamed... Sort of..." She added awkwardly before turning back to her meal. "And... as you know... She was a Wild Card, having multiple Personas... So I guess I'm the representation of all of them combined" The girl continued and gave the man a quick glance. He looked as if something hit him on the head... Like he was still processing what she just said. It was obvious that a flurry of thoughts began swirling in his mind. So, while the female ate and he was in a daze, there was an awkward silence in the room.

"... Aragaki-sama...?" She muttered in a weak voice. Her call snapped him back into reality, shaking off his thoughts after deciding to think about it some other time.

"Cut that crap... You can call me Shinjiro" He spoke in a rough tone. His expression showed a hint of annoyance, coupled with embarrassment.

"Uh... Y-yes... S-sorry... Shinjiro-sama..." She answered apologetically with her head lowered. Shinjiro wanted to facepalm at the girl... But at the same time, he can't help but feel happy for some reason... Deep inside, he's not sure what to feel. It was a strange mixture of happiness and confusion. He also wanted to ask her many things, the events last night, her 'master', her reason for being there and many more. Somehow, he couldn't get himself to ask her though... Since he knew she had been through a lot last night and he's not really the type to ask too much...

The two were in awkward silence yet again. They were alone in a room... The girl had just finished eating and laid the plate on the tray on top of the desk. It was clean that was almost no trace of food. She took the mug which was filled with warm coffee and slowly sipped from it, blowing the drink before doing so. From time to time, she tried to peek at the man who in turn tried to peek at her pinkish cheeks. The sound of the birds chirping outside and the voices of the people filled their silence.

"Umm... About e-" The girl's attention was cut off before she finished speaking when the door opened. Both of their attentions shifted to the figure which had just entered the room.

"Yo! Uncle" The young man who just entered turned to Shinjiro. He had straight blue hair and equally blue cat-like eyes. The boy was wearing white headphones which gave the appearance of a horn on his head. He was wearing a white jacket and long black pants.

His attention then moved from the man to the girl. He gave out a whistle before speaking again. "Uncle, since when were you hiding your cute daughter?"

"Wha-?" The brunette's face burned slightly red with the girl who was now shaking her head. He pulled up his hair and stood up from the chair, giving the young man a glare. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me uncle?" He groaned. "And I'm only 22 you idiot! How could I possibly have a daughter that old!"

The boy shrugged with a slight smile on his face and approached the girl.

"Heya. I'm Shunta Megumi, you can call me Shun. I'm one of this old man's slaves" He winked at her. The girl tilted her head in confusion of what he just said, while Shinjiro groaned, crossing his arms.

Finally, she shrugged. "Nice to meet you Shun-sama!" She bowed to him and replied with a bright smile.

"Shun-sama... I like the sound of that..." He smirked, rubbing his chin. The older male fumed and smacked him in the head. The young man turned to him with a pained and apologetic look as he rubbed the part where he was hit.

"What're you waiting for? Get down and change. It's almost opening time" He sighed, pushing the boy with him forcefully.

"Yeah sure..." He answered in a bored tone. Shunta turned to the girl, then to the older man. "Hey, she hasn't told me her name yet" The boy continued, pointing to the girl who seemed to be in a daze. To be honest, she doesn't really have a name, which was why she didn't give a straight answer when she was asked _"Who are you?"_. She was the manifestation of all of her master's Shadows since she was a Wild Card, so one can say her existence was a new one, kind of like a child born from the union of two microscopic critters... The girl turned to Shinjiro trying to figure out what to answer. He gave her a gentle smile and turned back to the boy.

"It's Hamuko Arisato. Now, get to work!" He said in an irritated tone. The girl's face burned red yet again as she stared at the two males. Finally, Shinjiro got the boy out of the room and closed up the door with a sigh.

"W-why did you say that? I can't possibly take on Master's name!" The girl spoke as if in a panic as she stared at the man with a bright red face. He scratched his head and replied. "You're her Persona right? So you're a part of her, she's a part of you. Doesn't that make you one and the same?"

The girl's face flushed even redder and a bit more than that, steam might come out her head. She gripped her skirt tightly and face the man. "Yes... But..." She paused and turned her eyes to the cedar-brown floor. "... Thanks" She smiled shyly, trying to avoid his gaze. Shinjiro smirked and waved his hand before leaving the room.

_'Shit...! What did I just do?'_ He leaned on the door with a bright red embarrassed face. He grasped his chest, feeling the loud and fast thumping of his heart...

* * *

><p>"Another order of Pork Scallopini and chocolate sundae!" The young man shouted through the small window after sticking a piece of paper on the counter, while the older one nodded and proceeded with his chopping. He was wearing a white apron and a white collared shirt under it with matching dark pants. Instead of wearing a toque or a hairnet, he insists on his beanie, saying that he's more comfortable with it. Shunta believes that his reason was only an excuse from wearing something embarrassing though... Or at least something he thinks was embarrassing...<p>

"Got it" He answered, lifting up the chopping board and dropping the meat to the frying pan. The table was filled with ingredients, vegetables, from cabbages to carrots, meat, from poultry to beef and fruits, from apples to bananas. There were shelves on top containing bottles of seasonings of different shapes and sizes. There were also utensils hanging on the hooks on the wall. Beside the table was the stove and across it was the sink. On the other side, close to the table was the white fridge with notes stuck all over the door.

_'Tch. Busy day... Why are there a lot of people?' _He sighed while sauteing the onions. The man then turned to the large pot and opened the lid and filled a small porcelain bowl with mushroom soup - their soup for the day. Noises of people chatting outside the window crawled into his ear as he approached the small window and placed the tray with the soup and a plate of Beef Stroganoff on top. He rung the small silver bell to call the boy's attention.

He turned back to the kitchen after catching sight of something black and frilly... Wait... What? He immediately turned back to peek at the window, almost hitting the tray. His eyes widened, his face flushed red again.

"Order for table 5... One bowl of mushroom soup, Chili Pepper Pasta and iced tea? Okay! Got it!" The red-eyed girl smiled, holding a small booklet and a pencil. Her reddish-brown hair was tied to the back as usual, complete with the barrettes forming the usual XXII. This time though, she was wearing... A maid outfit, complete with frills and headband. Speaking of which, there was a lot of people in the diner, most being male.

Immediately, after recovering from what he just saw, the cook stormed out of the kitchen. The people stared at him and his menacing aura. He then pulled the girl by the wrist, dragging her inside the kitchen much to her confusion.

"What are you doing! What's with that get up?" He was holding back his voice, but it still sounded rather angry. His face was still red as he spoke. The girl flinched and looked rather terrified, though it was more like a sorry look.

"I'm sorry! I... Just wanted to help..." She muttered, avoiding his line of sight. The man sighed and pulled down his beanie. He put his hand on her right shoulder, which in turn the girl responded by staring back at him.

"Look. I'm not mad okay?" His voice finally sounded calmer, though the girl still looked uneasy. "It's just... Ugh... T-there are..." He looked away as if he cannot say what he wanted to. He gave a quick peek at the window and saw the disappointed males. The man turned to the girl again and continued. "You'be better watch yourself. You're no kid anymore"

"Yes, Shinjiro-sama..." She answered apologetically, bowing her head. He finally facepalmed much to the girl's confusion.

"Drop the 'sama'... Shinjiro is fine" He sighed, flicking her forehead. She rubbed the part he hit and stared at him with a bright red face.

"If that's what you want... Shinjiro-san..." She said in a weak voice. He sighed again and massaged his forehead. _'This girl...! Ugh... Least that's better than Shinjiro-sama... And uncle...'_

"Hey! Customers are waiting!" The blue-haired boy entered the kitchen with a notepad on hand. He was wearing a white collared shirt like Shinjiro and a white apron, plus the white headphones. Shunta stared at the two with a careless expression on his face.

"Oh... Y-yes...! Um... I'll be going now..." The girl gave the man a final glance before exiting the kitchen.

Before the younger male exited, the older one suddenly closed the door. Shunta's eyes twitched, daring not to look back at the his boss. "And where are you going?" Shinjiro spoke in an extra rough tone. The young man turned to him, trying to force a smile.

"... Work" He answered in a low voice. Shunta tried to maintain eye contact, but each second felt like being pierced by daggers.

"You're the one who gave her the outfit... Am I right...?" He asked in an angry, yet suppressed tone.

"... Yes" He gulped, but immediately followed it up. "B-but that's cause she said she wanted to help and that's the only suitable female outfit we have! And she does look cute right...? I know you like it..."

"... That's coming out of your salary" The brunette's tone finally sounded calm, but the boy seemed as though he was ready to cry... "But... You don't even pay me anymore..." He mumbled, making a kick on the floor before slowly exiting back outside...

* * *

><p>It was a busy day. During their short break, Shinjiro managed to find Hamuko's old clothes in her old room, so she changed into it for work, much to the disappointment of the male customers. No one touched her room ever since they got through the Abyss of Time. Most likely, that's where his 'subordinate' obtained the maid costume.<p>

During work, the Persona was able to chat with the blue-haired boy for quite a while. From the looks of it, he's a Gekkoukan High student in his 3rd year. Apparently, he got held back twice and was currently 19 years old. The diner was run by Shinjiro. It used to be their dormitory, but he 'loaned' it from Mitsuru and turned the first floor into a diner, while the other floors were kept the way they used to be as his home. So, basically, the place was both his house and business. Also, Shunta was a tenant of the place. He doesn't have to pay rent, as long as he works. This includes the meal, electricity and other household stuff. Apparently, there are other two people living there, one was his older brother who was a novelist and only works when Shun's not available and the other was also a 3rd year student in Gekkoukan who was currently away on vacation. Among the three, this student was the only one who pays his rent. So all in all, this young Shadow was the only female around...

"I think my free breakfast had just been cut off..." The blue-haired boy sighed as he wiped the the table clean with a rag. Other than his free accommodations, he'd normally receive salary, though due to his frequent blunders and mischief, it's been reduced to zero recently...

'Hamuko' patted the poor boy at the back trying to comfort him. She was wearing 'her' old orange cutsew which they dug up from her old room. "I know he didn't mean that... I'll try to convince him... It's my fault after all" She said after sitting down on a chair nearby. The boy smiled and sat beside her and wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder.

"So... I wasn't able to ask... But how do you know the old man?" He asked with a scheming face. The girl shot up from the chair, escaping from his arm, looking rather flustered.

"H-he... We... Um..." She stuttered, unable to answer. No way can she tell him that she was the manifestation of a certain girl's inner self who happened to be a close friend of his boss. The boy's face twisted into a sly smile and snickered at the poor girl. _'Oh you old man... Never knew you were a pedo~' _When she noticed his malicious expression, the girl pouted at him. "Hey! It's not what you think!"

"Hey, what're you doing?" The usual gruff voice called out to them. Shinjiro was now wearing the same old black turtleneck shirt, minus the beanie, revealing his chestnut-brown shaggy hair. He was holding onto a small white cloth and was currently using it to wipe his hands, most likely wet from washing the dishes.

He gave the young man a glare and signaled him to get out. The boy shrugged and ran up the stairs, giving the girl a wink before doing so. She flinched and looked away, much to the older man's confusion...

* * *

><p>She chuckled as the white beast glomped on her and began licking her face. The man smiled as he watched the two. It seemed like Koromaru recognizes her even though she wasn't exactly 'Hamuko'. It was almost dark, and the place had just closed up after the busy day thanks to a 'new employee'. Despite the lack of people helping out in the place, they managed to pull it off...<p>

"So, what're you doing here?" He finally spoke. The girl turned to him while the dog ran off toward his direction and began nuzzling its nose on his leg.

"I don't know" She frowned. The man who was previously patting the dog shot her a confused glance. The girl sighed and continued."To be honest... I just woke up in front of the station yesterday. I didn't have any memories until you pulled out the Evoker..." She paused for a while and took a deep breath. The man was intently listening to her as she spoke, so was the dog. "They came back bit by bit last night... Until now... There's still gaps in between them... Clearest ones are those during the Dark Hour"

Shinjiro froze for a moment and looked as if he was pondering about something. He then turned to her with a slightly red face. "... Ho... How bout' the time from around September to October...?" The brunette asked wide eyed, with hesitation in his voice if he should ask or not. Though it just came out of him anyway. The girl stared and looked up the ceiling, trying to recall everything. She then turned back to him and shook her head. "It's still a blur... I remember the battle with the Shadows... Especially the... October 4th incident... And that's it... S-sorry..." She said apologetically and paused, giving him an assuring glance. "But... I'll try to remember!" The girl clenched her fist before continuing. "Why'd you ask? Did something important happen in that timeline?" She furrowed her brow at him. His jaw looked as if it would drop any moment now. Her words felt like it pierced him... After all, he was only around for that one month... And of all things to remember about him, the one which stood out was his 'death'. If she insists that all she could recall was their times in the Dark Hour... Then that means...

The girl and the dog stared at him waiting for his response. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned to them. "Then you don't re... Uh... Nothing... Never mind..." He said, standing up from the chair and turning his back on them.

"Are you sure...?" She asked worriedly. The man nodded and forced a smile before heading toward the stairs while the dog followed from behind.

"What're you waiting for? Aren't you going back to your room?" He turned his head toward the girl who flinched from his sudden response. It took a while before she answered.

"...My... Room...?" She looked at him with confusion. "I can stay?" She added in disbelief

"You ARE stupid huh? You live here remember?" He chuckled before waving goodbye and heading upstairs...

* * *

><p><strong>Normally, I use the name Minako, but I'm using Hamuko here because... Okay, that's sort of a secret...<strong>

**Anyway... It didn't turn out the way I imagined but... I guess it's okay like that? **

**And I was so confused by how I'm supposed to portray Shadow FeMC... In the end, I went with the one that thinks highly of her master. That's not the whole of her personality though, since she is supposed to be Hamuko in a sense... It's also difficult to think how'd Shinjiro should react to her actions... After all, she was gone for 5 years and she's not exactly herself now... So I guess he's awkward with it? But most of all, he's just happy to see that face again...**

**Just to make it clear, the room she stayed in the beginning was Shinji's and he slept downstairs. Early in the morning, he fixed up her old room and that's where she'll stay now.**

**Oh yeah... Just wondering, did anyone notice something on the day/date she appeared...? I'll say it on the next chapter... It's not really related to the plot though :P**

**Note: I don't own Persona 3 or P3P**

**(P.S. Check the poll in my profile pls.?)**


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

**Chapter 3: Reunion**

**April 3, 2014-Thursday**

"Man, Senpai's taking too long..." a capped boy moaned, resting his hands behind his head. He was wearing a plain, white shirt and long blue pants. He still had his trademark goatee on his chin which looked the same as ever.

"He never confirmed about coming though..." The mature-looking woman frowned, turning to the capped one. Her hair was a lot thicker and wavier than it used to be. She was wearing an elegant, white peacoat.

Beside her was a silver-haired man, who quietly stood there. His hair was a bit longer too, compared to his high school days, though it was not that easily noticeable. The bandage on his head was also gone now. He was wearing a tan-colored coat and under it was a dark-blue shirt. There were two other girls standing beside the first boy. One had light-brown hair and the other had teal-colored hair. The bluish-green hair was significantly longer now, covering half of her back, while the other barely had any difference.

All of them were in the port that early morning. A few seagulls were high up in the bright blue sky. The sea sparkled under the light of the sun and the cold breeze blew every so often. Behind them was a private yacht owned by the ever-growing Kirijo group. Ever since the president 'died', his young daughter took over. At first, many were skeptical if she could do it, but in the end, she proved herself. Not only did she maintain the company, but she managed to make it rise higher and become more powerful than it ever was.

What were they doing there in the first place? Well, this heiress decided to hold a reunion for the group, sending them messages a month earlier. Apparently, the youngest of the group already informed them that he wasn't coming due to school coming close, while the android was too busy taking on jobs and as for the last one... Well... He never really answered, so they didn't really know if he was coming or not... In fact, he had barely made contact with any of them for the past few years...

The red-head finally sighed. "That's enough... I don't think he-"

"Look! That might be him!" The capped male pointed excitedly into the distance. Slowly, the figure of a yellow car came into shape, a taxi to be exact. Soon, it drew closer and stopped in front of the group.

The red-head smiled and brushed up her bangs while the older male crossed his arms and gave a smirk. "So, he decided to come..." he muttered to himself while the younger adults ran toward the car.

"Shinjiro-senpai! How are ya?" The goateed man smiled as he waved to the brunette, who had just jumped out the vehicle after paying.

He wasn't completely outside yet, since he was pulling something from the inside. It was most likely his baggage though, but knowing the guy, it was difficult to imagine that he'd bring a lot. In fact, they'd probably assume that he'd bring nothing... Least would be an extra pair of clothes...

He was wearing an ever-so-familiar maroon peacoat and a beanie. First thing that came to mind for the girls was the fact that he'd barely changed. Must be the clothes though... What was up with his dress choice? If he'd worn something else, they could surely tell that his face had matured quite a bit. Still intimidating as ever though... Other than his outer appearance, there was this strange aura he was releasing... Or rather... The fact that he was actually smiling seemed to have stopped them in their tracks. Even his best friend looked surprised. He hadn't seen the guy smile like that since...

"Oh my god..." the brown-haired female cried, followed by the teal-haired one from behind.

They immediately ran toward the girl without hesitation and wrapped their arms around her. She was smaller than them, since her appearance was still of a 17-year-old girl. Even the capped male attempted to join them at first, but he stopped and stared at the girls awkwardly with shock on his face. The beanied man grinned at the sight.

"Hamu-chan... I can't believe it..." The soft-spoken woman began crying in joy despite the fact that her appearance as a teenager defied all logic.

Added to that was the fact that she didn't react badly to their actions. Sure, she looked surprised with their sudden outburst, but it was not like she tried denying their claims. In fact, she was now smiling faintly and began patting the females' heads.

"Shinjiro! I... I demand an explanation!" The red-head turned to him with a trembling voice. It was as if she was on the verge of tears just like the other two girls, who were now crying. Perhaps, if her feet hadn't frozen on the spot, she would've joined the others.

"Y-yeah, Shinji! S-she can't be... b-because..." the other male stuttered, walking toward his friend's side.

Shinjiro shrugged and smirked, pointing to the yacht with his thumb. "Shouldn't we get goin' first? I'll explain everything there."

* * *

><p>The group was sitting around a round table inside the boat. It was pretty spacious and looked like the inside of a house, more specifically, their old lounge. The difference would be that the walls and floor were all white and gray in color. The girl who was the center of attention a while ago was now sitting beside Shinjiro as she played with the white dog. She'd sometimes give them a quick glance, then turn back to the mutt after seeing their faces. All eyes were on her, watching her every move as if she was some sort of new specimen. At some points, they smiled at her; sometimes, they just gazed at her blankly, still unbelieving of her existence.<p>

It was like the old days when they used to hold club meetings. It took quite a while to get it arranged though, since they kept clinging to the red-eyed girl, who seemed equally confused and surprised as them, in a different way. Her surprise and confusion was caused by her awkwardness being not exactly who they thought she was, while theirs was her sudden appearance.

This time, the brunette did most of the explaining. He started with the event of that night, which immediately caught everyone's attention. As it turned out, they didn't experience it from where they were... Mitsuru was especially sure, since she often had sleepless nights and there was no time that time froze... Same with Junpei, who claimed to stay up late for who knows what he was doing.

He then explained what the female Persona had told him... He sounded rather awkward as he explained about her, giving the girl a quick glance every once in a while. Not once did she try to cut in on his explanations though; the girl just listened while playing with the dog to avoid everyone's attention. Shinjiro also told them about her 'incomplete' memories and gave them a slight hint of her difference from her so-called master. No one seemed to be able to pick it up though...

"So... She's Orpheus or something?" the goateed man asked, wide-eyed.

The other female sighed and shook her head. "No, Stupei... You weren't listening. Orpheus is just a part of her. You never changed after all..." She paused and looked up the ceiling with doubtful eyes and muttered to herself. "I think...?"

"Shinji... Why didn't you tell us about her earlier?" the silver-haired one finally spoke after a moment of mindscrew.

"Aki, you should really learn to use your head sometimes... She came two days ago. How'd you expect me to contact you if I hadn't for five years?" He sighed and watched everyone, who suddenly fell silent. Yukari and Fuuka gave him a suspicious glance. He looked away from them, trying to hide the blush from his face before continuing. "And I almost forgot about this trip because of her."

That was the reason why they ran late. Apparently, he remembered about the reunion at midnight and made last-minute preparations. He barely slept because of that. Speaking of which, he did seem rather groggy, the hair hiding under the beanie was a mess and his clothes were a bit untidy. In fact, it wreaked the smell of closet.

The sound of the waves and the panting of the dog filled the silent room.

The red-eyed girl turned to them awkwardly while scratching the dog's head. "Umm... So... I'm pleased to meet everyone in person... Please take care of me..." she spoke shyly to break the silence. The Persona had a slight blush on her face and bowed at them after standing from her former position with the dog below her.

They stared at her in surprise (since they were expecting a more lively introduction of sorts from her), minus the brunette, who was getting used to it.

Sounds of the crying seagulls filled their ears for another moment...

"Tch. Never knew her 'inner self' could be feminine." Shinjiro chuckled, breaking the silence again.

The girl pouted and put her hands on her hips, turning to the brunette. "Hey! Master is 100% female! She's just... impulsive..." Her voice wavered as she spoke.

The beanied man chuckled again and placed his feet on the table, lowering his beanie. "Yeah... Whatever you say..."

The females gave each other a glance, while Akihiko kept quiet, still trying to absorb everything. It was Junpei who decided to ignore the things his Senpai told him and decided to conclude she was Hamuko and that's that.

"So... You remember me? Your ol' pal Junpei...?" he asked her curiously, with the brown-haired girl making a sigh.

"Of course, Iori-sama." She smiled at him enthusiastically. "I remember everyone. Takeba-sama, Yamagishi-sama, Kirijo-sama, Sanada-sama, Amada-sama, Aegis-sama, and even Koromaru-sama too." She faced them one by one as she mentioned their respective names (except Ken and Aegis, who weren't present).

The others, except the now sleeping Shinjiro, stared at her with mouths wide open. It seemed like the now sleeping man knew that would happen, so he snoozed off to escape further explanations and lecturing her again.

Junpei was at a loss at first, but smirked a moment later as he rubbed his chin. "Iori-sama, huh...? I like the sound of that..." He smiled to himself as he imagined a what-if scenario where tons of females in maid outfits greeted him as that. The man snapped back to reality after being smacked by a certain girl. "Yuka-tan...! What was that for?" he complained, rubbing the part she hit.

The girl fumed and sighed. "If Chidori-san was here... You could've gotten worse you know!" She sighed again.

The male froze and smiled apologetically. Speaking of her... She was around earlier and was the one who sent Junpei off. Chidori and Junpei were currently going out. The girl's memories of the Dark Hour never really returned though, so when he invited his girlfriend, she refused the offer. Apparently, the girl felt it wrong to hang out with people she barely had connections with.

"Hamu-chan... You can call us the way you... your 'master' did," Fuuka spoke weakly with a faint smile on her face.

"Yes. I can't have you calling me 'Kirijo'-sama too... I have enough of that back there." The red-haired one nodded.

"You might get mistaken as one of the maids!" Yukari joked.

The Shadow stared at them and nodded shyly. She smiled faintly and bowed again... "If that's what you want..."

* * *

><p>"Oh yeah! Yakushima!" Junpei jumped down the sandy ground excitedly with his bag slung over his shoulder.<p>

The others followed from behind as they looked around the area. It barely changed from when they came there 5 years ago. Same sandy beach, same trees, same sea... Same, yet different people...

"Sheesh... He's still like a kid... That's Stupei for you..." Yukari shook her head as she got down the yacht with Fuuka beside her and Mitsuru in front of them.

Back inside was Akihiko, who was trying to shake the sleepy Shinjiro to wake up, along with 'Hamuko', who offered to help. "I still can't believe I'd see you again... in that form, no less." The silver-haired male smiled while he shook his friend's shoulders. "Erm... What I meant was... looking like a teenager..." he added, returning to waking up the guy, "You're supposed to be 21 by now... but seeing you look that young makes me feel kind of old!"

"You... don't look that old... Sanad... A-akihiko-senpai didn't really change so much too..." she answered, lowering her head, "I'm in master's form when she last summoned me... That's all..." she added.

Before Akihiko could reply, Shinjiro began to move, drawing his attention back to his old friend.

Finally, Mr. Sleepyhead woke up and stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes, seeing the two figures in front of him. "...We're here?" he asked rather groggily.

Akihiko nodded and went ahead of him, leaving the two behind. He turned back to the two before completely exiting the room. "Oh, and you can call me Akihiko," he added before heading out.

The girl nodded while the still sleepy man stared, trying to shake off his sleepiness. "Let's go!" She smiled and pulled his arm forcefully.

He shrugged and followed...

_'Tch... You really do love pullin' me around, huh?'_

* * *

><p>"Hey! I have an idea!" Junpei exclaimed cheerfully as they trudged their way to Mitsuru's vacation home.<p>

They decided to walk together instead of taking a ride in order to enjoy the scenery. Everyone was carrying their loads. Shinjiro's was the biggest, being a large maroon-colored travel bag. Apparently, he was carrying both his and his female companion's baggage. The group was led by Junpei and Koromaru, followed by Fuuka and Yukari behind him, then Akihiko and Mitsuru with Shinjiro and 'Hamuko' way at the back. It looked as if they were children on a field trip, forming two lines.

"Hope it's not as stupid as the speaker," Yukari teased the man, who in turn, rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for that Yuka-tan..." he answered bitterly. He turned to everyone behind him and started to walk backwards as he spoke. "Anyway... How 'bout hold a party for Hamu-chan? C'mon, it'll be fun!" He smiled. Everyone seemed to favor his idea, though the Shadow felt rather reluctant at it and shifted her eyes to everyone one by one.

"Oh! And Shinjiro-senpai can cook for us like he did before!" Fuuka added, clapping her hands together. Soon, everyone else nodded in agreement and began talking about it. The beanie-wearing male kept quiet and smirked.

"Um... Are you okay with that?" The auburn-haired girl turned to him worriedly while the others began their planning, though it would most likely be the brunette who'd end up doing all the work...

He gave her a smile and ruffled her hair. "Why not? I promised you we'd do it again, right?" he answered the girl, who raised a brow. She looked down at the ground and sighed sadly. Shinjiro suddenly pulled back his hand and frowned after realizing his mistake.

"...Sorry... I... don't remember..." she muttered.

The man sighed and scratched the back of his head, avoiding the girl's eyes. Just like she mentioned before, her memories which were not of the Dark Hour were all blurry, in other words, her memories during the morning until before midnight. That may have been most likely due to the fact that she was only summoned during said hour, plus, she was naturally a Shadow... So, that may have had something to do with it too. Speaking of which, her memories of their Yakushima trip were also quite a blur to her, so it was as if it was her first time in the place just like Shinjiro.

"...It'll come back," he added softly, trying to make her feel better.

The girl beamed and nodded...

The moment they arrived, they settled their things inside their rooms. Shinjiro and 'Hamuko' had a bit of trouble though, since they shared in their luggage. In the end, the man took the few items he'd brought and the girl ended up with everything else. She wasn't the one who packed them though... It was him. Apparently, he took out almost everything from her closet while she was asleep... Due to the spur of the moment, none of the two realized how wrong that would sound like... Still, it was 'Hamuko' who picked the swimsuit and undergarments early in the morning...

Right after getting everything fixed up, Shinjiro headed toward the kitchen and was assisted by the maids and chef. Fuuka never dared come near a kitchen after the club disbanded, much to everyone's relief. As for the red-eyed female, she was dragged in by her other companions, who wanted to make up for lost time. They did most of the speaking... Not like she could tell them much that they didn't know already... Or at least, that's what she thought.

So, apparently, Junpei was in his final year of college. He was supposed to already have graduated, but he had to repeat a year, much to nobody's surprise. Chidori was also in college, studying fine arts. She still had two years to go, though her reason for that was the fact that she had to go through high school for some time due to her circumstances. As for Mitsuru, she was currently running the Kirijo group. She claimed that her schedule had become very constrained... It was actually quite lucky that she managed to squeeze the reunion in her schedule...

Akihiko, on the other hand, was currently a police detective subordinate. He said he was close to his promotion due to his excellent performance. For Fuuka... she had opened up a shop which mostly dealt with repairs and upgrades of gadgets. It was quite new, but she claimed that business was booming. Finally, Yukari turned out to be a model. A newbie though... She was about to make her debut on the next month. Turns out, she'd be leaving the country soon, so this little reunion may be the last time they'd be seeing her for a long time.

They also spoke a bit about the new 'Dark Hour' for a while before the meal finally arrived. In the end, they all agreed to look into it more, especially Mitsuru, who suspected it may be a late aftermath of the event five years ago. Speaking of which, it hadn't happened last night, not even at Shinjiro's place... So, did it happen randomly...?

* * *

><p>The meal Shinjiro had prepared was pretty identical to the feast he had laid out last time. There was a bunch of new ones though. And a beef bowl. He claimed that it was Akihiko's request...<p>

"What? You can never get enough beef bowls!" Akihiko exclaimed, deflecting the stares he received.

Mitsuru was seated at the head of the table with Fuuka and Yukari to her right. Beside Yukari was Junpei. On the heiress' left was Akihiko. Sitting beside him was Shinjiro and 'Hamuko'. As for the other end of the table... Let's just say it was occupied by a certain red-eyed beast. The dog whimpered when it learned that he had to stay on the floor. Shinjiro and the others felt sorry for the dog... Apparently, the mutt had learned to eat properly on the table and had been doing it for a year now thanks to a certain blue-haired boy who just got his salary cut because of doing so...

Everyone began chatting and laughing as they ate, with Junpei doing most of the talking... Something about delicious dimensions... Shinjiro and Mitsuru would often get him to settle down either with a glare or with a threat. Glares didn't usually work on him anymore though... Thanks to his girlfriend...

"Hey... Why aren't you eating?" He gave the girl a weak nudge on the shoulder, making her attention turn to the brunette. The others didn't seem to notice the two, since they were busy trying to get the capped one to behave.

She fiddled with her fork and gave him a faint smile. "I am... See?" She picked up and gobbled up the pasta which she wrapped around her fork, making a loud, slurpy noise. As she sucked in the spaghetti, the girl made a puffy cheek, making the man chuckle. She, in turn, pouted at his reaction.

"... You got something there..." The girl stared at him as he wiped the side of her lips with his thumb, taking off the sauce from her face, licking it off afterward.

The room suddenly silenced.

"...What?" He looked as if he scowled, although knowing him, that was his confused look.

The girls turned to their food with bright red, stiff faces. Junpei's eyes widened before quietly turning back to his meal. Shinjiro shrugged and turned back to the girl. She was staring at him as if in a daze, her face flushed red. A second later, his face flushed red too._ 'Oh, shit...! Did I just...? Crap...'_ He groaned and immediately stood up and pushed away his seat, ready to leave.

"Shinji, wher ahr yu ghoin'?" the silver-haired male called out with his mouth full of food.

Without turning back to his friend, he raised his hand and walked his way out.

Akihiko shrugged and returned to eating. He stared at everyone else. All of them were quiet. "What's with you all?" the silver-haired male muttered after swallowing his food...

Junpei tapped Yukari's arm and whispered, "Let's all meet at the living room later..."

* * *

><p><strong>And yet again... Didn't turn out how imagined it... This chapter was supposed to be with the next one, and the party event was added on the spot...<strong>

**Oh yeah... And as for the -**_ "Oh yeah... Just wondering, did anyone notice something on the day/date she appeared...? I'll say it on the next chapter... It's not really related to the plot though :P"_

****So, the day she appeared was April 1st aka April Fools Day... And since Hamuko/Minako is a Fool... Okay... I'm gonna stop there :P****

**** This was not planned (again) though... Just coincidence...****

* * *

><p><strong>DramaticSleeper -She does remember that... But she doesn't remember 'her' Social Link events aka love events with Shinji<strong>

**OhtaSuzuke -I was thinking of naming FeMC Minako at first, and then name her Shadow/Persona Hamuko, that way, they'd have two separate names... But in the end, I decided giving them the same names XD**

***Special thanks to my beta reader for getting this (and the next ones) fixed up =P**

***EDIT:Aaaand I forgot =_= Next chap will be out next week (though, most likely, on the 25th)~  
><strong>

**(P.S. Check the poll in my profile pls.?)**

**********-Persona 3 and any SMT series does not belong to me-**********


	4. Chapter 4: Operation: Not Babe Hunt

**Chapter 4: Operation: Not Babe Hunt**

**April 3, 2014-Thursday**

Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka were huddled together in the living room. Mitsuru was beside them who looked rather worried at their little conversation. She listened to them, but did not dare partake in it... It was not like it was harmful, though she was somewhat reluctant on their little plan...

"So, that's the plan?" Junpei whispered.

"Yeah." Yukari nodded while Fuuka remained silent.

_'They didn't change at all...' _Mitsuru sighed as she watched them.

The four turned toward the sounds of footsteps from behind them. It was Akihiko and Shinjiro, who had just arrived. As for the other girl... She was in the kitchen doing serious business... Because of the recent incident, she wasn't able to eat well, so all the left-overs ended up in the kitchen, which she was now terrorizing.

"What're you idiots doing?" the beanied man groaned, but they just replied with a suspicious smirk, which somehow sent chills down his spine.

"What's going on?" the other male added.

Before Junpei was able to reply to his seniors, the familiar red-eyed girl approached them. She stared with a puzzled look on her face. They all seemed to avoid her gaze, minus the confused boxer beside the capped one. She studied them one by one like she always did, though they all gave her a wry smile. Shinjiro kept hiding under his beanie though. Finally, she shrugged and continued.

"I'll be going to the beach now. Who wants to come with me?"

"Oooh! I will!" Junpei raised his hand.

"I'll come with you." Yukari smiled.

"M-me too..." Fuuka added with a weak voice.

"Guess I need to do some work outs. Count me in," Akihiko added, raising his fist.

"Not my thing..." Shinjiro shrugged.

"I'll follow later. I have things to attend to as of now." Mitsuru frowned before calling in one of her maids.

"Arf!" Koromaru barked... Though no one understood what he said, it was most likely a yes, since he looked eager.

'Hamuko' smiled back and waved at everyone before going her way to the changing room. They waved back, saying that they'd be following soon after watching the girl disappear.

* * *

><p>"Let's talk about it at beach..." Junpei whispered to the girls with a wink, patting Yukari's shoulder before leaving, "But first..." he muttered to himself and turned to Shinjiro, who was now sitting on a sofa, reading a magazine.<p>

"What?" He scowled, looking irritated.

Junpei didn't flinch though... His time with Chidori really strengthened his courage. Perhaps, if he was to run around in the back alley of Tatsumi, he'd pay no attention to the delinquents anymore... "Oh... Nothing..." He smiled and turned his back to the older man, who was staring at him suspiciously. "I just wanted to tell you she's in safe hands..."

_'Yeah... Aki'll make sure she's safe...'_

"At the beach... All THREE girls..."

_'... Big deal... Aki can take care of 'em...'_

"And us TWO guys..."

_'...!'_

At those words, the man froze. He tightened his hold on the magazine so much that it crumpled... He then bit his lip. Soon, his hands trembled after hearing each one of Junpei's slow steps... "Tch... I... changed my mind..." He gritted his teeth and finally shot up from his seat and threw down the magazine on the sofa. The man stomped his way to the men's changing room...

"Success~!" Junpei snickered and rested his hands behind his head as he whistled on his way as he followed Shinjiro from behind.

* * *

><p>"So? What was that about?" the silver-haired man asked curiously.<p>

They were now on the sandy beach. There weren't many people around, considering the fact that it wasn't summer yet. Why go there in spring? Well... It's because they couldn't find time in their busy schedules... That was the only time most of them were available, so they went with it.

"Don't tell me it's another Operation: Babe Hunt... 'cause you can count me out!" he added bitterly, remembering the moment... Ugh... Then again, the girls seemed to be in it too... Can't be bad like that, right...?

Junpei and Akihiko were the first to get there, since changing to their swim wear wasn't so hard. As for Shinjiro... He was rather uncomfortable with his outfit that he wouldn't come out. The silver-haired detective stared at the capped man's back who suddenly turned to him with an unusual sparkle in his eyes.

"...Shinjiro-senpai obviously likes Hamu-chan!" He winked, pointing at the other man's face.

"Oh..." Akihiko nodded in response, then froze. "Wait... What?" He turned to Junpei, who smirked. The older man was obviously confused.

"Dude... Everyone knew about it five years ago and with how sparkly Senpai is recently... there's no doubting it!" he added, leaving Akihiko in a trance of deep thought.

_'Wow... No wonder he's still not with Mitsuru-senpai...' _Junpei shook his head and sighed as he watched the man.

"Oh, they're here..." Junpei snickered as he waved at the girls, who had just arrived.

Akihiko was still processing everything in his brain that he reacted quite late at the girl's arrival. In the end, he decided to forget about it and turned to the females.

The girl with red-brown hair was in front and running toward the boys while waving her hand. Beside her was the little white dog, who seemed to be enjoying the sand, while behind them were the two women who were trying to catch up with the girl. 'Shadow Hamuko' was wearing her master's former swimsuit. Not like she could have bought one earlier anyway, since it was quite unplanned for her... The other two, on the other hand, wore new ones. For Yukari, it was a pretty blue two-piece suit and Fuuka had worn a dark green one-piece this time, much to the disappointment of a certain capped male. Speaking of them, Junpei simply wore dark blue swimming trunks (plus his cap) and Akihiko... It was same as the first... but red...

"You're still our cute little mermaid, huh?" Junpei joked, ruffling the girl's auburn hair. She blushed, much to the surprise of the friends. The girl then took a quick glance of the older male, who raised a brow at her.

"Like it? This one is more water-resistant than the last. It-"

"There you go again..." a gruff voice suddenly cut in, stopping the silver-haired male from his explanation.

"Hey, look, isn't that...?" Yukari pointed back to the forest. It was the tall brunette, who looked like he was hesitating to come out.

"Ara... Shinjiro-san! You're here!" The red-eyed girl beamed and waved at him cheerfully.

The man blushed at the sight of her outfit, though his red face was hidden under the shade of the trees. He sighed and took a deep breath before stepping in the light. All of them stared at him with wide-eyes except Akihiko. Nothing special though... His shaggy chestnut brown hair was finally showing itself along with his now more visible gray eyes. The man was wearing a pair of maroon-colored swimming trunks which reach down right above the knee. Their attention wasn't below or his face though... or his abs... but his chest. There were two large scars, most likely from the incident from five years ago... It was a miracle he actually survived.

"Uh... Oh... Um... So... How is it...?" the auburn-haired girl asked weakly, pointing at the wound.

Shinjiro scratched his head awkwardly and avoided looking at the girl before answering. "Heh. No worries... It's a pain in the ass sometimes, but I can live with it." He grinned.

The girl nodded shyly and avoided eye contact with him like he now did to her. "That's good..." she mumbled.

Junpei chuckled at the two, nudging Fuuka with his elbow, snapping her back to reality.

"Huh? Oh." She turned to him, then to 'Hamuko'. "Hamu-chan, let's g-go see the shells over there!" she called out and pulled the girl's arm, much to her surprise. The two ran off quite far from the rest.

Shinjiro was about to follow when...

"You like her don't you?" Yukari sneaked up behind the brunette and flashed him a grin, making the man flinch.

"Wh-where'd you pi-... W-what're you talkin' about all of a sudden?" he answered with a red face and trembling voice.

"You used to go out with her on certain days, right...?" the scheming girl continued.

"Haha! I never knew Senpai was a pedo~" Junpei smiled, shooting the man a glance.

His face burned red again. He turned his head away from them to hide his face. "Our gaps ain't that big! Besides, sh-" He paused, wide-eyed and red in the face as he turned back to the group.

Junpei was grinning, Yukari was snickering. As for the silver-haired male, he stood in confusion, unable to pick up what the hell was happening...

"See? Told you there's something between them!" The brown-haired female chuckled, patting Junpei's shoulder.

He finally managed to set back his straight face, though there was still a tint of red.

"Hey, what am I missing here?" Akihiko turned to Junpei, who was still smiling like an idiot. The older male's dark eyes were wide and filled with confusion as he spoke.

Yukari faceplamed and answered in Junpei's stead. "Senpai... How are you a detective? Shinjiro-senpai is obviously in lo-" Before she finished, large hands cupped over her mouth and immobilized her.

"He's in love!" Junpei continued Yukari's words as he stepped in beside Shinjiro, who had now released the girl.

He tried hiding his face with his hand and looked away from everyone else.

"...W-with who?" Akihiko's face was finally a bit red as he stared at his now embarrassed friend. It was his first time seeing Shinjiro like that... And what's more? He never told him about it... Not surprising though... But still...

"It's Ha-"

"Shut your trap... I'm getting outta here!" he hissed, turning around from everyone else.

Akihiko followed him from behind like he always did and kept showering the man with a barrage of "Hey, Shinji, Hey, Shinji!". Shinjiro tried to ignore him and snarled, though he didn't go away. Finally, he lied down on a blue lounge chair with his hands behind his head. His friend sighed and sat down on another chair right beside the blue one. The silver-haired man finally kept quiet as he watched the sky. Somehow, it was starting to get dark. Not that it was late, but the dark clouds began coming in. No surprise though, since the weather had been quite unstable recently too – rains in the middle of a sunny day had been coming more frequently.

The two remained silent for a while as they watched the sky. Sounds of children's laughter, girls' chatting, and men shouting were all over the place. The smell of the sea wafted in the air as the wind blew through the water, creating waves of different sizes. As for below, shells of unique shapes and colors lay everywhere on the white sandy floor. Most of them were close by the shore. Some had hermit crabs occupying them. There were also a few starfish lying around, though quite rare. A bit far back behind the beach was the woods filled with many different trees. It was home for a large cryptomeria tree and was known to be a world heritage site.

"You've really changed..." the silver-haired man finally spoke without turning to his friend.

Shinjiro shrugged and closed his eyes as if sleeping, while Akihiko sighed at his response.

He shot the man a glance. "...Is it Hamuko?"

At those words, the brunette's face immediately turned bright red. He groaned and turned over to the opposite side to avoid Akihiko. Before the young detective was able to continue, a familiar voice called out to them. Shinjiro didn't budge, but his friend immediately sat up and turned toward the running capped man along with the brown-haired female.

"Senpai! Hamu-chan is missing!" he shouted, stopping in front of the two while trying to catch his breath.

At that moment, Shinjiro immediately jumped up and gave them a scowl. Right after Junpei recovered, he continued speaking, saying that Fuuka was separated from 'Hamuko' and now they couldn't find her anywhere. The two older men nodded at each other and decided to follow the capped man to the last place they saw the two girls.

Before they set off, Yukari winked at Junpei while the two weren't looking...

* * *

><p>The four finally met up with the teal-haired girl, who was in a less populated area. In other words, that particular part of the beach had a lot less people. She explained to them what happened, that while she was looking at the ocean, her companion suddenly disappeared and now, she'd been looking everywhere, but to no avail.<p>

"That girl...!" Shinjiro growled before turning to everyone else, "I'll search the cove over there, Aki, you search the woods, and as for you three, spread out!" he commanded before sprinting his way toward his designated location.

Akihiko nodded and went on his way; as for Fuuka, Junpei, and Yukari, they headed back to the beach.

Junpei closed in on Fuuka with a grin on his face and slapped her back. "Nicely done, Fuuka-chan! Our plan is going well... Hehehe." He smiled.

The girl stared at him with a pale face. "But she REALLY is missing!" the girl answered.

Yukari shot Junpei a glance. He gulped...

* * *

><p><em>'Dammit...! Where's that girl?' <em>The brunette ran toward the coast while keeping a vigilant eye. He kept shouting the girl's name as he ran, not caring if people looked at him. There were barely any at that part though.

Time passed; there was still no sign of the girl. The sky was getting darker, a sign of an upcoming storm, and from the looks of it, it was not going to be a pleasant one. He left footsteps on the sand as he ran, stepping on shells at some points, not caring if he got injured in the foot or not. His main priority was to find the girl. Speaking of which, Fuuka had sensing abilities, right? So, since she didn't use it... That would mean that he wasn't the only one who lost his ability to summon his Persona. Did that mean everyone else did?

He shook off the thoughts as a drop of rain trickled down his face. It was still weak, but from how it was sounding, it'd grow stronger soon.

_'Shit... I have to find her before this becomes a storm...'_ He groaned. Shinjiro finally stopped by a small cave in the cove to shelter himself from the rain. He sighed and leaned at the rocky walls, turning his sight outside.

"...Is someone there...?" a weak voice echoed from inside. It sounded like a female's... Specifically...

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he shouted.

The red-eyed girl smiled at him apologetically as she stood up from the rock she was sitting on. "Er... I thought I saw a cute little bat... so I followed it... Then before I knew it, I got stuck..." she answered, pointing at her foot, which was stuck inside a hole.

The brunette moaned and helped her out, gently pulling it off. She stared with awe at her now released foot and rolled it around, checking if it was okay.

"Couldn't you have used your powers or something?" He continued.

The girl gave him a blank stare and then widened her eyes, showing the_ "Oh yeah..."_ kind of expression. Shinjiro slapped his face, watching the girl realize the trouble she caused for everyone. She immediately began bowing in apology. He sighed and patted her head, stopping her from doing so.

"It's alright. Important thing is that you're safe..." he muttered under his breath.

The sounds of the rain storm crackled outside with thunder and lightning, while the two sat beside each other awkwardly in their swimsuits. 'Hamuko' shivered. Her male companion was about to offer her something when he realized all he had was his swimming trunks, making him curse under his breath. The girl noticed his dilemma and gave him a weak smile.

"It's alright... Oh, right!" She beamed. The girl held out her hands and produced a small fire, which somehow impressed the man. She let out a sigh of relief from the nice feeling the flame gave out. Her red eyes turned to Shinjiro. "Hey, Shinjiro-sama, you can come closer. It's pretty warm."

The man groaned and did what he was told. He was hesitant at first, but did so anyway.

"Didn't I tell you to drop the -sama shit?" he added in a frustrated tone.

The girl blushed and looked down. "Oh... S-sorry... I guess I slipped..." she muttered.

The two fell into silence. Speaking of which, they hadn't really spoken alone since the party.

The roaring of the thunder engulfed the dark skies. Rain clouds covered the night sky while powerful gusts of wind blew. The rain touching the ground made powerful sounds as if breaking something. Trees outside swayed wildly as leaves and sometimes, trash blew up in the air. The others were probably worried... Not that they could do anything about it anyway...

"... You can drop the formalities y'know..." the male suddenly spoke up. 'Hamuko' turned to him with a confused look. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "... You can call me Shinjiro like you used to, no –san, -sama, or any other shit," he added rather roughly, though it was evident that it took lot for him to say it.

'Hamuko', on the other hand, blushed and shook her head wildly. "N-no...! I... I can't do that! It's... It's rude, okay...?" she finally answered, averting her eyes, "Besides..." She paused, causing a long silence within the cave.

Time slowly passed and yet, none of them spoke a word for some time again...

"You know... A Shadow is usually a manifestation of negative emotions and thoughts," she spoke again, changing the subject from earlier. 'Hamuko' paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "That must be why the first things I remembered were master's worst memories..." she added, breaking the silence. The man turned to the girl, who watched the flickering fire intently. "I heard a gunshot." She paused, turning her gaze to the ceiling. "And the words... 'Don't cry...'" the girl continued with sadness in her eyes.

The man bit his lip and looked away from her. Again, they quieted down.

The girl slumped down and moved her glance to the man, who still seemed to be avoiding her eyes. He looked guilty about something, though she had an idea what. She sighed and moved a bit closer to warm him up with the fire.

"But... you know... I was glad when I actually remembered something. It felt like I was lost and alone without any memories..." She smiled gently, but he still didn't react. "Shinjiro-san... Since sadness is a strong emotion tied with happiness... then... I guess we held you important to us..." She beamed as her face blushed. To be honest, she had no idea why she was saying those things to him. She was quite sure about one thing though... She just had to get it out.

"So... Umm... Even if I don't exactly remember the happy memories... I'm glad I at least remember something, so you don't have to worry about me, ok?" She stopped and looked up. "B-because... if I don't remember our times together in September... that just means that it was very important to us... Me and master Arisato..."

The man finally turned to her and saw her red face. He chuckled and ruffled her hair, making the girl pout like a child, seeing his gentle smile. "You dummy..." he muttered.

* * *

><p>"Hey..." the girl whispered.<p>

The brunette turned to her with a question mark in his face. For some reason, the girl looked uneasy and her face was rather red.

"Umm... Maybe I shouldn't bring this up anymore, but..." The girl shook her head and sighed. "Never mind..."

Shinjiro stared at her with a puzzled look and then shrugged. A long time passed and the storm seemed to have weakened, but it was too late to go back anyway. He was staring outside when he felt something hit his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw the girl resting her head on it. She was asleep. He smiled and pulled the girl closer to him as the flame in her hands died...

* * *

><p><strong>April 4, 2014-Friday<strong>

"Shinjiro! We were worried!" The red-haired girl was crossing her arms as she watched the man casually walk side by side with the girl.

It was early in the morning. The moment the two woke up, they immediately set out to return back to everyone else, who, in turn, greeted them outside. Apparently, they, too, were on their way to start searching for the two.

Yukari and Fuuka rushed down to 'Hamuko' and glomped her just like their first meeting. This time, the girl hugged back, trying to comfort the other two, who were rather guilty. Just like them, Junpei looked at the girl guiltily, but his sorry face turned into a smirk a moment later. He shot a glance at Shinjiro, who was currently talking with Akihiko and Mitsuru, and then to the auburn-haired girl. The man snickered and gave his accomplices a thumbs up. They scowled at him in response, which turned into a smile like his and they mouthed him the words 'mission accomplished'. They had no idea what those two did and things didn't go exactly as planned, but one thing was sure... They spent the night together. In their swimsuits.

The group finally headed back inside the mansion to eat their breakfast, leaving the brunette and the Persona together. As the girl was about to follow, the man grabbed her wrist. She turned around with a puzzled face.

He stared at her squarely and spoke, "Hey, what were you going to say last night?"

"Oh, that. It was nothing... I just wanted to tell you not to feel bad about me not calling you the way master used to... Not because I don't like you or anything... or because it's rude..." She chuckled as he released his grip. "But because I feel uneasy to address you that way. I get a strange feeling when I try to... Don't know why though," the girl added, sticking her tongue out, feeling rather silly, "Stupid, huh? Well, let's get going. Everyone's waiting!" The girl turned away and ran after everyone else, leaving a flustered man behind.

"You idiot..."

* * *

><p><strong>Ummm... That's it for chapter 4! <strong>

**Sorry for taking long in updating by the way ^^" **

**Stuff happened... Anyway... As for the next chapter... It's technically done, I'm just waiting for my betas to reply...  
><strong>

**And as for the **

"In the beach... All THREE girls..."

_'... Big deal... Aki can take care of em'...'_

"And us TWO guys..."

_'...!'_

**I'll leave that to your imagination... Honestly, two ideas come to my mind while reading that... XD**

**And when Junpei said Shinji was a pedo... He's just kidding of course... After all, 17(?) and 22 is not really a big gap~  
><strong>

**Oh, and again, to avoid confusion, when Shadow/Persona Hamuko said 'we' and 'us' while talking to Shinji in the cave... She meant her and her master... And when she said 'our time', she meant her, Shinji and her master.**

* * *

><p><strong>OhtaSuzuke - Storm indeed XD<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Oh and... Merry Christmas~! =D<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>(P.S. Check the poll in my profile pls.?)<strong>

**********-Persona 3 and any SMT series does not belong to me-**********


	5. Chapter 5: Castor I

**Chapter 5: Castor - Part I**

******April 4, 2014-Friday******

After the group had finished eating their breakfast, they immediately went straight to the beach, except for the two who went astray the previous day. They claimed to be rather tired, so they went back to their respective rooms to get a rest. When afternoon fell, the red-eyed girl was finally rejuvenated, and so she went straight to the dining room to have some lunch. The girl was served by the maids of the house, much to her fascination. Afterwards, she explored the place.

In the end, she bumped into the others who had just returned from the beach. 'Hamuko' hung out with them, specifically Akihiko, who challenged her to a match of table tennis. It was a very close fight in the end; the battle ended in a tie, since no one recorded the scores... That night, everyone gathered together to eat, including Shinjiro, who had apparently slept all day...

* * *

><p><strong><strong><strong>April 5, 2014-Saturday<strong>****

This was their last day of vacation. Again, the day started with breakfast in the morning. All of them came to the beach this time, even Shinjiro, who was dragged in by both Akihiko and 'Hamuko'. Mitsuru was the one who garnered the most attention. Her swimsuit that day was almost identical to her old one five years ago, but it was a black version of it with a white flower instead of red. Her hair was also tied to the back, revealing the whole of her face. Everyone could've sworn that she was hit on by guys twice every hour. What's worse was the fact that she seemed to have a hard time figuring out her situation... Though lucky for her, Akihiko kept butting in and chasing her suitors away. He looked rather agitated... And for some reason, Junpei, Fuuka and Yukari had times where they huddled together, shooting glances at the two while plastering creepy smirks on their faces. Except Fuuka whose smile was rather awkward rather than evil.

Shinjiro shrugged and advised his female companion to ignore the three. She followed his words, but still worried about what they were hatching up. In the end, the whole group went swimming, played beach volleyball, and did a little fishing due to Akihiko's request. It was the 'youngest' female who ended up with the biggest fish, much to everyone's surprise. Afterwards, they had Shinjiro cook their catch, thanks to another one of Junpei's bright ideas. They had a picnic at the beach, with Mitsuru renting a grill from a nearby shop. It was a wonder how the hell that guy could make an ordinary grilled fish taste so good...

"Hey, careful there..." Shinjiro groaned while watching the auburn-haired girl gobble up her meal. Upon hearing his words, she looked up to him and gave an apologetic laugh. Afterwards, she began eating slowly and carefully, much to everyone's surprise.

"Whoa! Hamu-chan... I've never seen you obedient like that!" Junpei exclaimed.

Yukari smacked him in the head as usual while he rubbed the damaged part. "Watch what you're saying...!" she hissed quietly, pointing to the girl. For a moment, she had a sad smile on her face. Junpei turned to Yukari with a puzzled look on his face. She sighed and face palmed before moving closer to the boy and whispered, "She's not exactly the Hamuko we know, remember? She's her Persona. Of course she's obedient!"

At those words, Junpei frowned and turned back to 'Hamuko' to apologize. But before he did so, she beamed and spoke first.

"No, it's all right... It's enough honor to me to be with my master's friends." She chuckled.

Yukari flinched. Although she was not sure of it, it was most likely that 'Hamuko' had heard what the girl just told the capped man. Speaking of which, it never crossed their minds that she might have stronger senses than humans... Perhaps it was the reason for her big catch too...

'Hamuko' turned back to eating with everyone's eyes suddenly on her. The dog whimpered and nuzzled its nose on her lap. Shinjiro sighed and continued cooking up the rest of the catch.

"Hamu-chan..." Everyone's eyes suddenly turned to the soft-spoken girl. She paused upon seeing all their eyes locked on her. Fuuka took a deep breath before continuing. "We're your friends too. It doesn't matter if you're Hamuko herself or her Persona. What's important is that it's you."

Everyone went silent. Fuuka looked embarrassed and awkward, lowering her head.

"Well said, Fuuka." Mitsuru smiled, then turned to the red-eyed girl, who was now looking down at the picnic blanket.

After a moment, she lifted her head with a fresh smile on her face. "Thanks..." she muttered.

Everyone smiled back and continued their meal. Junpei, patting 'Hamuko's' back, Yukari smacking his head, Mitsuru glaring at the two, Akihiko watching cluelessly and Fuuka laughing innocently...

_'Heh. That takes care of that...' _The male brunette smirked as he fanned the fish, watching everyone happily.

* * *

><p>"I wish we could get together like this another time." The teal-haired girl smiled as she looked up at the bright orange sky. She and all the others were on their way up to the yacht to board it, with all their things completely packed.<p>

"Yeah... I guess... But time sure flies, huh?" the other girl added. She brushed up her light brown bangs to reveal her equally brown eyes.

Everyone nodded in response, except for the red-eyed female in the corner. She was looking blankly into an empty space. While all of them spoke about their experiences in the past few days, the silver-haired male glanced at the auburn-haired girl in the corner and approached her. He placed his hand on her right shoulder.

"Hey, Hamuko, what's the matter?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

The girl shook her head in response and smiled. "Happiness is tied with sadness, huh?" she muttered with a faint smile on her face as she turned to the group. The male stared at her with a confused look on his face, but didn't say a thing. The girl turned back to him and continued. "The more attached you are to something, the happier you become, but when it's gone... It's quite lonely..." She sighed.

Again, the man didn't respond; instead, he gave her a smile and patted her head. She smiled back in return and ran toward the group to join them. Akihiko watched from afar with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. As he watched everyone else, the familiar red-head approached and watched alongside him.

"Quite a turn of events, don't you think?" she said without turning to the male, eyes still on the group.

The man nodded at her response and just like the female, his eyes were locked on the younger crowd. "Yeah. I never expected to see her in that condition again."

The two kept silent for a moment before Mitsuru's calm face turned into a serious one. She crossed her arms over her chest. As for the male, he turned around to look at the vast sea, resting his arms on the railings after putting down his bag on the floor.

"As for the phenomena Shinjiro said they experienced... You don't think...?" the female finally spoke with seriousness in her eyes.

Akihiko kept staring at the sea as the cool breeze blew through his face. "... I don't know. I'll try to find what I can. Being in the force, I may just get a hold some information," he answered... Laughter of the old friends echoed on the ship as they set sail...

* * *

><p>"Shinji, make sure you keep in contact with us this time." The silver-haired man held up his fist in front of him. It was already dark when they arrived back, around 11:00 PM. Everyone was tired; nonetheless, not so excited to split up with everyone else.<p>

The brunette smirked and met his fist with Akihiko's. Soon, everyone began exchanging their goodbyes, with 'Hamuko' giving everyone but Shinjiro a shell bracelet she had made back there. She claimed that she had imbued it with her power as good luck. Even Mitsuru received one, much to her surprise. In the end, the group had a group hug, minus the Shinjiro, who looked embarrassed to do such a thing. Though in the end, he just had to join thanks to Akihiko's usual pestering and the Persona's puppy-dog eyes... or at least, according to Junpei, 'the power of love' which got him another bump on the head courtesy of his senpai...

* * *

><p>"Oh Hamu-chan... I'll miss you man..." Junpei said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He was teary-eyed... Though it seemed more like crocodile tears for the sake of making things more dramatic. 'Hamuko' laughed nervously. "Hey! I'm being serious here!" he added, furrowing his brows.<p>

"Oh... Sorry about *pffft* that... I can't seem to... *pfft* take you seriously..." she answered, trying to hold her laughter.

"Haha... Why do I feel like I prefer the 'polite' Hamu-chan... but either way, I'm glad you're back on track. Well anyway, seriously, good luck out there." he answered, releasing the girl. She smiled in return. "Oh, and also, you have my blessings. Shinjiro-senpai may be scary and rough, but he's a good guy." he continued with a wink as he nudged her arm with his shoulder.

"Uh... Thanks?" she answered, looking quite puzzled. Junpei shrugged.

"Oh, and I have a surprise for ya. Just wait for it!" Junpei smirked, coupled with a thumbs-up before joining the others who were headed for the station.

* * *

><p>"Hey, and make sure you all eat your vegetables," he snarled before turning away from everyone, who waved as he, his female companion, and the dog went in their own direction. The others chuckled at his final words, making him blush. 'Hamuko' turned to him and grinned, trying to comfort him, though it somehow made him a lot more flustered.<p>

"You'd better take care of her, Shinji..." The silver-haired male muttered under his breath as they watched their backs disappear into the dark night...

* * *

><p>"Koro-chan, wait!" the girl shouted as she ran after the white mutt. It ran ahead of them while on their way back to Tartarus. It was still quite far though, but before she knew it, the dog disappeared from sight. She was about to continue chasing after it when she felt a tug on her arm.<p>

"Don't worry. He's probably just excited to get back," the brunette spoke.

'Hamuko' frowned and then gave a faint smile afterwards, feeling a lot more assured. It was Koromaru they were talking about after all - the one and only (as far as they knew) Persona-summoning, knife-wielding, and badass dog as Junpei called it. If it was Koro-chan, he'd be safe...

"I guess I do understand his excitement though... But to leave us like this..." The girl chuckled, turning to the man. He nodded as they continued through the silent streets...

* * *

><p>*tick*<p>

"It was nice seeing everyone again! Too bad not everyone was present though..."

*tick*

"Heh. Don't worry about that."

*...*

"What do you me-?"

The two suddenly stopped in their tracks as a strange breeze-like feeling touched their skin. Immediately, they surveyed the area. No blood, no green world, no coffins... But again, people except them had stopped moving. The flickering lights had also stayed still, with some staying off and others on. Time had stopped.

"Shit..! It's happening again?" the brunette growled, tightening his hold on their over-sized travel bag.

It was quiet... Then they spotted two human figures closing in on them, a male and a female. They looked a tad bit familiar, most likely the type they'd seen somewhere before but theydidn't personally know them. The male one had somewhat long brown hair reaching his shoulders pretty much like the female's hair, though slightly darker. All in all, the two looked-like the type who'd hang out in the back alleys...

"YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING PAY!" the male hissed.

The brunette's eyes widened in confusion like the girl standing beside him. Before they knew it, the two 'punks', like the businessman, had transformed into Shadows. The male one turned into what looked like a Steel Gigas, though it only looked like one. This one still had the male's hair, a blood-red mask and the muscled body of said Shadow with an extra large pumped up arm, almost twice the size of the body. As for the female, she turned into a seemingly female shadow wearing an ice-blue mask. Her hair was light brown and long, almost reaching the ground. She was wearing a frilly and ruffled combination of crimson and azure dress, which resembled ones used in royal balls in the olden age, though the combination was rather wildly patterned.

"What the fuck are you saying?" He couldn't help but raise the question. They seemed to know him the way they spoke to the man.

The female Shadow chuckled and turned to the male one with a smirk on its face. "AHAHA... LOOKS LIKE HE FORGOT YOU. WHAT A LOSER!" She laughed in a cold, shrill voice.

The male roared and stomped on the ground. It was so strong that it felt as though there would be an earthquake. "FUCK YOU, SHINJIRO! DIE!" it snarled angrily, charging at the man.

The brunette was also about to charge in too when the girl blocked him off with her arm outstretched to his front. 'Hamuko' turned to him with a serious smile on her face. "I'll handle this," she muttered.

The man clenched his fist and bitterly backed off as he watched the girl shine. The Shadow stopped in its tracks after being distracted by the girl's sudden actions. Her skin glowed with a blue light, which was then peeled off like pieces of shattered glass. When the light subsided, the familiar figure of the Persona combination of Orpheus and Messiah appeared.

The two Shadows seemed to have been caught off guard at first and flinched while she released a blast of Maralagidyne at the muscled creature, knocking it back. The female one hissed in anger and summoned up a Ziodyne. Shadow Hamuko managed to roll way and dodge, countering with a summon of God's Hand, which also managed to knock out the female Shadow. Immediately, the two were back on their feet and seemed angrier than ever. The brunette couldn't do anything but watch the girl fight alone. She seemed to be winning though. That's what he thought.

"YOU DAMN BITCH! YOU'LL PAY!" the female Shadow screeched, calling up another Ziodyne. Again, 'Hamuko' dodged to the left.

"ARGH!" She groaned as the male Shadow tackled her. As she jumped to dodge the first attack, the other one waited for the opportunity to catch her off guard. Hamuko's Persona was sent flying to the glass store nearby, hitting it. The displayed glasses immediately shattered and went sprawling to the ground.

Shinjiro, who was nearby, blocked off the possible bits that could've hit him with his arm. He watched as the girl winced in pain from the attack. "Hamuko!" he called out.

The girl flinched for a moment and it took her some time before she got back on her feet. She turned to the man and straightened up her posture. "Stay back!" she roared in a commanding tone, which made the man back off instinctively. It was the same tone she used whenever they were in Tartarus five years ago. Knowing this girl, she was a pushover. Sure, she did the things she wanted to do without your consent, but when told to stop it, she'd stop. Though, they've just known each other for a few days...

"I'm getting rusty..." she muttered, "How about this then?" She held both of her hands out and pointed it at the male Shadow. The next instant, a powerful gust of wind flew out of her hands and headed toward the creature. Dust and smoke covered the area as the sound of the powerful explosion hitting the enemy echoed in the dark night. "Did I get it?" She mumbled while shielding her eyes from the dust.

The moment the smoke slowly cleared, a silhouette appeared... No... Two of them. The Persona's ruby-red eyes widened as she saw the two Shadows unharmed. From the looks of it, the female one had a block on the attack and shielded its comrade. The two smirked; 'Hamuko' growled. Again, she called out a God's Hand on the female Shadow. A gigantic golden hand fell from the sky, targeting the woman...

...?

Before it hit, the male Shadow punched it away as it dissipated into air. The two smirked again. Shadow Hamuko flinched, but kept her stance. This time, the male Shadow charged at her. The female Persona readied her attack, holding out her hand...

"ARGH...! AGH!" she screamed in pain with a double hit.

While she was getting ready to attack, the female Shadow blasted an Agidyne attack at her while the other one followed it up with a powerful tackle. Again, 'Hamuko' was knocked back. She stood up again, spread out her arms, and called out a Pralaya attack on the female Shadow. Again, before it even managed to touch her, the male Shadow had already stood in front and blocked it.

_'Is there no end to this?'_ she thought...

* * *

><p><em>'Shit...! Can't I do anything?' <em>The man clenched his fist while cursing under his breath as he watched the girl get beaten up.

From the looks of it, all her skills were only good for attacking one enemy at once. Whenever she targeted one of the two, the other would either attack her first or block the attack. The male one was resistant to all physical, pierce, and slash attacks while the female blocked agi, zio, and garu attacks, so they supported each other by taking in the attacks they were resistant to. 'Hamuko' also tried to use Black Viper, but it took quite some time to cast that and before she could finish, they'd already broken her concentration.

"Hamuko!" he shouted as the girl was yet again knocked back to a building wall.

Shinjiro was about to approach when she signalled him to stop with a wave of her hand. The girl cringed in pain and turned to the man and gave him a pained smile before charging back to the enemies. He crouched down and rummaged through their oversized travel bag. The brunette started throwing out its contents, hoping to find something useful. In the end, he just created a mess after emptying the bag.

"Dammit...! Of all things, I forget that damn axe!" he hissed, punching the ground. Blood seeped out of his hand after he hit some of the broken shards of glass earlier. In desperation, he took out his lucky charm and pointed it at his head, hoping that it would work this time. Nothing happened. Again, he pulled the trigger as much as he could, but it didn't work.

"I can't leave her like that... Dammit! Dammit!" He threw the gun in anger, but the only sound he could hear was her shouts of pain from getting pummelled by the Shadows. "Castor... Please...! I need you..." he muttered desperately, punching the ground once more.

_"Heh. Now YOU need me__,__ huh?"_

"...?" He looked down, but all that there was were the broken shards of glass stained with his blood. They showed several reflections of his desperate face. For a moment, they flashed from the light of the moon. He could've sworn he saw something other than his own face...

* * *

><p>"WHAT?" The male Shadow and his companion suddenly turned in Shinjiro's direction.<p>

'Hamuko', who was lying on the ground right after being knocked back, also turned in his direction. Light glowed from the broken shards of glass, much to everyone's surprise. After the light subsided, a black horseman impaled with a broken spear with a long, golden hair, riding on an equally black horse-looking creature showed itself.

"THE FUCK IS THAT?" the male Shadow growled, turning to the creature.

"EWWW! IT'S HIDEOUS!" The female one chuckled, while the auburn-haired Persona got up on her feet, wide-eyed and stared at the horseman.

"Castor...?" she muttered.

Even Shinjiro seemed to be in a trance at first, but then he stood up with a confident smirk on his face, turning to his Persona.

"Castor! Kill those bastards! Fatal End!" he commanded. Castor turned to him and seemed as though it glared, which made him flinch in surprise. It then turned back to the enemies and charged at the female Shadow.

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" the muscled Shadow roared and charged at the newly summoned Persona, trying to stop it from attacking her.

"Watch out!" 'Hamuko' called out. She released a Maralagidyne spell, which hit the male Shadow, stopping it from interrupting Castor's attack.

Instead of following Shinjiro's command, Castor used an attack he'd never seen before. It was Death Bound if he wasn't mistaken. With that one hit, the female Shadow hissed as she disappeared as a fog of black smoke.

"FUCK YOU, SHINJIRO...!" the male Shadow roared in anger as it blindly charged into the man. Before he reached the brunette, 'Hamuko' jumped in front of him with a scowl on her face and blasted another powerful tornado-like gust of wind. The creature cursed as it, like the female one, disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Shinjiro and 'Hamuko' turned to Castor, who hadn't disappeared yet.

It charged into them, but then stopped, turning to the brunette. _"I do things MY way, got it?"_ It spoke in a voice similar to his master's before the Persona disappeared in a blue light...

* * *

><p><strong>Guess that marks the end of the Yakushima vacation? <strong>

**I didn't include a lot of scenes in my mind cause I don't know how to insert them... Like one part where the girls are all together in the beach and some guys hit on them... Then, 'Hamuko' unleashes an agi spell on them saying not to mess with her master's friends... **

**And... I believe this is the longest battle scene I've made so far XD**

**I'm no good at battles... I find it difficult to describe them...**

**Oh yeah... In order to differentiate when it's Hamuko or her Persona, Shadow Hamuko will be 'Hamuko' as seen from the previous chapters...**

**-Next Chapter, new charries will be introduced**

**-Special thanks to the beta reader for this chapter and the next ^_^  
><strong>

**(P.S. Check the poll in my profile pls.?)**

**********-Persona 3 and any SMT series does not belong to me-**********


	6. Chapter 6: Castor II

**Chapter 6: Castor - Part II**

**April 5, 2014-Saturday**

"Tch. What the fuck was with that?" the brunette growled as he zipped up the bag. All the clothes which were strewn around the floor were now safely tucked inside, though all the broken shards of glass were still everywhere on the floor.

'Hamuko' was at least able to clean up the blood the man left because of punching the ground. Speaking of her, she didn't look like she came from a fight. There was not a single scratch on her body. Aside from the fact that she had used Diarahan on herself, she claimed that it was because she was not a human that she heals faster.

"Er... I think those guys were the ones from the back alleys of the Port Island..." she muttered while running to his side. The man raised a brow, still confused. The girl sighed and continued. "You know... When we went investigating about Fuuka... Second time you met Master..." she added.

At those words, the man rubbed his forehead and groaned. "Oh... Them... Tch..." His eyes suddenly widened as he turned to the girl. "Wait... They were fucking Shadows!" he exclaimed after the realization. The girl's eyes also widened as she fell into a deep thought.

The two continued their way back home quietly as they pondered about the situation. The male Shadow was the man Shinjiro beat up five years ago, while the female was one of the girls he was with. Those guys were humans right...? Then why were those Shadows in their forms earlier? Or rather, why did they become Shadows? They even remembered him... Did that mean the business man they had previously encountered was human as well? Or were all of them Shadows to begin with...? Also... Castor... did he really just speak...?

Before they knew it, the duo was back in front of their home. The Frozen Hour had also ended (most likely right after the defeat of the Shadows, though it was hard to tell), seeing that there was someone in front of the house who was rummaging through his pocket. To 'Hamuko', he wasn't a familiar face, but Shinjiro seemed to know him, seeing that grin on his face. The stranger was wearing a gray peacoat and a pair of long, black pants. He had thick blue hair which almost covered the whole of the left side of his face while his silver eyes gleamed under the moonlight. The equally silver headphones which were dangling on his neck swung as he turned to the two with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh. Boss... You're back..." he mumbled, turning to Shinjiro, who reached for his pocket. The stranger then turned to the girl curiously, who in turn gave him an awkward smile.

"Minato, what're you doing here so late?" the brunette asked as he turned the key on the doorknob, clicking it open afterward.

The man shrugged and pointed to the brown paper bag on the floor, which he picked up. "We're out of milk... Again. I bought some..." he answered in a monotone voice.

Shinjiro groaned and muttered something in annoyance. It was something about the milk.

The silver orbs then moved from the female to the older male. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend," he said with an expressionless face. The two flinched; both of their faces burned red, but the brunette's face wasn't seen by either of the two, since his back was turned on them. The girl shook her head wildly while the blue-haired man smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I was mistaken... Then you must be Hamuko-san? Shun told me about you," he spoke.

The girl finally settled down and sighed in relief. "Umm... Yup! T-that's me!" she stuttered, still feeling rather awkward with owning her master's name.

The man smirked. He then turned his head to the girl and smiled. "I'm Megumi Minato, Shunta's my younger brother. Nice to meet you."

She nodded in response and ran back inside, while the man locked up the door and the ever-so-familiar white furball greeted her happily as she entered... Wait... How did Koromaru get in...?

* * *

><p><strong>April 6, 2014-Sunday<strong>

"Urrgh... Damn... Fucking headache..." the brunette groaned as he held his head.

He was sitting up on his bed after waking up. It was early Sunday morning. Clear skies, sunny day, a perfect way to start the day. The man stayed in the bed for some more time before getting up his way to the bathroom, which was right across from where his bed was. His room was the only one with its own bathroom. All the others living in what used to be a dorm had to share the one in the hallway. Except for 'Hamuko', who could use the female's bathroom all to herself.

He began brushing his teeth after taking a bath. On Sundays, Tartarus opened up late in the afternoon until late night, so he had a lot of free time until the opening. Normally, all he'd do was stay in the lounge and read magazines or watch the Sunday cooking channel. Sometimes he would go shopping for more ingredients or go buy the new issue of the guide to 'Family Cooking' released monthly. Now that he thought of it... Was that how he spent his life during the past five years? No wonder Shunta called him old man... He lived like one...

"...?"

_'Must be my imagination...' _He shrugged after turning back to the mirror. The man washed the toothbrush and returned it in the cup. He turned around to get back to his room...

"...!"

* * *

><p>"Shinjiro-san! I've prepared breakfast!" the girl cheerfully called out from outside while knocking on his door. No response. 'Hamuko' furrowed a brow and formed a sly smile on her face. "I'm coming in~" she added and turned the knob on the door, which was surprisingly open. "Good mor-!" she stopped in her tracks upon setting her eyes on the room.<p>

It wasn't messy or anything. Fact was, she'd been there... She'd slept there... The night she'd appeared and fainted, Shinjiro had brought her back and let her stay there, since her old room was a mess during that time. But enough of the room... She was seeing two freaking Shinjiros! They were staring at each other; one looked dumfounded, the other annoyed.

Although they looked almost identical, the two had significant differences other than the clothes they wore. The 'dumfounded one' looked older, was not wearing a beanie, and was only wearing a white shirt and a pair of pants. In other words, he was in his pajamas. His hair was quite shorter than the other one and he was also a bit taller. The 'annoyed one's' hair was golden-yellow, just like his eyes in contrast to the other one with gray eyes. He was wearing a black beanie and the ever-so familiar peacoat, which was also black in color instead of the usual maroon.

The older brunette turned to 'Hamuko', who was now equally as dumfounded as he was. She was stuttering gibberish words as she stared at them. The girl shook her head and tried to get a grasp of things and turned to the blonde version of the man.

He glared at her. "What're you looking at?" he spoke in a gruff tone similar to his counterpart's voice.

The girl took a deep breath and pouted. "You!Whatelse?Whoareyou?" she spoke quickly as if in a panic. The words came out of her mouth randomly. The man shrugged and closed in on her, staring at her face. She flinched, but maintained her composure.

"Heh. That's how you greet the guy who saved your ass?" he smirked.

The female Persona paused and processed her mind. Her eyes widened and she pointed at the man. "Y-you're..."

"...Castor?" Shinjiro finished her words. Both of them turned to him.

"Yeah, I am. What're you gonna do about it? 'Suppress' me again?" Castor scowled while the girl gave him a puzzled look. So did the brunette. A second later, he furrowed his brow and gave out a guilty expression. The beanied male shrugged and pushed the girl out of his way...

"H-hey! Where are you going?" the girl called out, peeping out into the hallway. All she could see was Castor's back.

He turned to her with the usual scowl Shinjiro used to have. "None of your business," he answered bluntly and walked off.

The girl pouted again and ran after him.

As for Shinjiro, he just watched and stared blankly before finally realizing what had happened. He groaned, slammed his door shut, and tried to follow the two. His running was rather heavy and loud that the floorboards almost felt like they could collapse any second. For some reason though, there seemed to be quite a ruckus downstairs. People to be exact... as if customers were in... Though, that couldn't be right, since it was not opening time yet... Unless...

"SHUUUUNTAAAA...!" His voice rung across the diner, which caught the customers' attention. They turned toward the direction of the stairs, where the owner stood as he stared at the scene.

Normally, you'd be happy to see that business was booming; but not this guy. Heck, he didn't even care about popularity... Sure, he cared about the profits, after all, it's his livelihood, and where else could he generate money to pay off his 'debts' from Kirijo? But out of all these, the most important thing about this diner was the fact that he was doing what he loved... That, and the fact that he wanted to protect the precious memories which the building held for him... Point was, his schedule just got screwed up. No one screws it up.

_'Damned brat...! I bet he forgot that we open late today!'_

Instead of the blue-haired youngster, a black-haired teenager approached him. He had blue eyes and pale-white skin. The boy had a rather relaxed expression on his face and was wearing a blue apron. As soon as the customers saw that the 'problem' was being sorted out, they awkwardly returned to their own businesses, particularly chatting and picking out their orders.

"Master, the servant which you called forth is currently not available. I believe he set off on a journey to the-"

Before the boy finished speaking, Shinjiro cut him off with an annoyed look on his face. "Oh, right... Today was your return, wasn't it?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head, and let out a sigh, "Yuki, can you get Minato to help and...?" He paused and stared at the occupied tables. The man rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache before continuing. "Have you seen Hamu-... a girl with red eyes walk past here chasing after a blonde guy?"

"I have no need to call him for he is currently at his designated area," he answered with a straight face while pointing at the kitchen. He put his hand down and continued. "As for the people that which you mentioned... I believe they ran off outside."

"Ugh... Just great... This is a pain in the ass..." he moaned, watching the people begin to look impatient, "Get me my apron and 'hat', I'm coming in..." He sighed again, heading toward the kitchen.

"Yes, master!" he answered with a bow.

"... And don't call me that!" Shinjiro hissed, slamming the kitchen door...

_'Damn... I hope those two are alright...'_

* * *

><p>"Castor! Wait...!" 'Hamuko' called out, trying to get through the crowd of people before losing sight of the guy. Finally, she stopped and huffed, finding herself back in the back alleys of the island.<p>

_'Eh...? This place? What would he be doing here?'_ she thought while walking around rather casually. Suspicious looking figures were glaring at her, though she kept a calm demeanour. After all, she'd faced worse things. _'Why did he suddenly run off here, I wonder... And why did he come out?' _The girl continued to think as if she was taking a stroll in the park.

"That it? You ain't hiding anything else?" a seemingly familiar gruff voice spoke. It came from a certain corner of a dark alley which 'Hamuko' immediately followed. There, the girl caught a glimpse of Castor and a guy who was around his early 20s.

"I-I swear...!" the man begged as Castor held him up in the air by his collar. He was trembling in fear as the blonde glared.

"Castor! What are you doing?" 'Hamuko' shouted, causing the male Persona to turn to her direction.

He gave out an annoyed groan and threw the man on the ground, who in turn ran off the very next moment. "Idiot! Why'd you come here alone? You know how da-... Y-you didn't have to come here!" he shouted angrily as he approached the girl.

She didn't react, at least the way she usually did. Normally, even with the smallest things, 'Hamuko' would make a big deal out of it and apologize like mad or something of the sort (at least since she came). "Hey! No need to get worked up about it... Besides, it's your fault for suddenly running off! C'mon, let's go back!" The girl pouted as she took his hand and attempted to pull the guy.

He blushed. "...K-knock it off! You always piss me off," he groaned, pulling his hand away after a few steps. "Tch. You push me around all the time... You think you can do anything you want, huh? After what you put me through?" Castor spoke as he cornered the girl to a wall.

'Hamuko' looked confused rather than afraid. She just stared at the man with her clueless eyes. "H-huh? What are you talking about...?" she asked, tilting her head.

The male slammed his hand on the wall and moved his face closer to hers. "You really are dense, huh?" He smirked bitterly. There was a short pause before he continued speaking. "Back then, you ruined everything. I was gonna leave nothing behind, then you come along messing my head up... Then, you decide to leave us just to take care of that damn 'responsibility' of yours without any word?"

'Hamuko' didn't respond.

"... And now, you returned just to torment me again, didn't you? You want to do the same shit you did back then...!"

The girl bit her lip and avoided his eyes. Though she didn't really have clear memories, she had a vague understanding of what he was talking about. Shinjiro's time with them was cut short thanks to the October incident... But she knew his bond with her 'master' was a strong one. She was not sure exactly how they were back then, but somehow his relationship was different compared to the other people she knew. She didn't really remember seeing him after his coma, but there was one thing she was fully aware of: he woke up, and she was gone... Everyone was 'broken' afterwards... most especially him.

Castor sighed and finally moved away from her and stared at the girl, looking rather pleased.

'Hamuko' still avoided eye contact. She seemed to be pondering from what the male just told her. Honestly, she didn't know if she'd be staying for a long time; for all she knew, she might disappear at any moment. After all, her existence was not meant to be... That might deal a blow to him, right? From what she had heard from the others during the reunion, Shinjiro was in a really bad shape after her 'master fell asleep'. In fact, it was only after the incident with Metis and the Abyss of Time (though he wasn't able to help because he was still in bad shape) where he began to return back up. After that, he dedicated his time to Tartarus...

"Well, if you don't need anything else, I'm outta here," Castor continued, turning his back on the girl.

She snapped out of her thoughts and hesitantly grabbed his wrist. "W-wait! B-but... Sh... Shinjiro-san might get worried if you don't return!" she spoke in a desperate, yet weak tone.

Castor turned to her and scowled, pulling his arm away just like he did before. "Tch. That piece of shit? Why would I even care about him? He's nothing but a piece of trash. He couldn't protect anyone. Hell, all he could do is watch while pathetically calling out my na-"

*slap*

'Hamuko' hit him square in the face. The man seemed surprised at the sudden action that all he could do was stare at her blankly.

"That's it. I don't care what you say about me or my master. Insult me all you want, but if you say anything bad about Shinjiro-san, I'll never forgive you!" The girl's expression was somehow terrifying. For him anyway.

For a short moment, the two stared at each other in silence.

"Ugh... Damn bitch... Why do you care for him so much? You barely know him! You can't remember much, don't you?" Castor finally spoke in a gruff tone. His voice was somehow shaking though.

"I care for him, yes... But it's not just because 'I care for him' that I'm mad... It's because he's you!" she answered in a confident tone. Castor flinched. "Look. I don't want you saying bad things about yourself. You are his Persona. That means he's you, you're him. Calling yourself trash... It... I don't wanna hear stuff like that... Alright? Now, c'mon, he's waiting." She took him by his arm yet again. At first, he didn't budge from his position, but he finally followed after 'Hamuko' tugged him harder. For some reason, his legs began to feel like soft jelly... as if he lost all his strength.

"Ugh... Why did she have to..." he muttered to himself while trying to hide his red face from her sight...

* * *

><p>The door slowly creaked open as blue cat-like eyes peeked inside the room. It was dark, the tables were wiped clean, and the chairs were neatly arranged. This was what Tartarus looked like after a long day of work. The boy sighed before closing the door. He walked as quietly as he could and headed straight for the kitchen.<p>

"... I have to get something to eat now... That old man will surely deprive me of my meals..." he muttered to himself.

_'... But oh man... I can't believe I forgot that we open late today...'_ He whimpered. The boy, now in front of the kitchen paused. _'Eh? What's that sound?'_ he thought as he rested his ear on the door, where he heard the sound of flowing water.

A chill crept up on him. Could it be a thief? Or perhaps that murderer he heard about? Or worse, the old man preparing for his punishment! The boy gulped and decided to peek through the small kitchen window. As soon as he did, his eyes widened as he stepped back little by little. Immediately, he ran toward the direction of the stairs...

*bump*

"Ow! ... Uhh... H-huh? Shun-sama? You're finally home... and... isn't it kind of late? It's past midnight you know... Where were you?" The girl blinked in surprise while giving the clock a quick glance.

"Shhh! Never mind that! We have a bigger problem here!" Shunta answered in a panicked tone while covering 'Hamuko's' mouth with his hand.

She stared at him in confusion. The girl sighed and gently took his hand off her face. "Calm down... What's the matter?" she whispered trying to ease the boy.

He looked around and pointed at the kitchen. "There's a hobo in the kitchen! A hobo! And he looks scary too..." he answered in a low voice.

'Hamuko' raised her brows and chuckled a moment later, which puzzled the boy. "Oh, that's just Castor. He's just washing the dishes~" She answered with a warm smile.

* * *

><p>The lights were turned on and four figures stood at the bottom of the stairs: Shinjiro, 'Hamuko', Castor, and the ever-so confused Shunta. He kept his eyes locked on the two, from Castor to Shinjiro. His face showed an expression of disbelief.<p>

"O-old man... W-why are there two of you?" he stuttered, "Oh, maan... Don't tell me my nightmares are coming true!"

Shinjiro and Castor rolled their eyes in unison. 'Hamuko' chuckled. Shunta, on the other hand, continued with his 'panicking' until the brunette cleared his throat, capturing the boy's attention.

"He's Aragaki Castor. A relative," Shinjiro said hesitantly in an annoyed tone.

"...A-a long lost relative!" 'Hamuko' added.

Castor groaned. Shunta was still in doubt.

"... And he'll be helping out here from now on," Shinjiro continued.

"Ehhh...? A second old man? You gotta be kidding me!" Shunta blurted out. The two other men immediately sent him piercing glares, which made the boy freeze in an instant.

"Got a problem with that kid? I don't like this as much as you do. Believe me," Castor retorted in a gruff, threatening tone as he cracked his knuckles. Shunta gulped nervously. "She dragged me in against my will," he added, pointing at 'Hamuko', who stuck her tongue out in response.

"N-no... O-of course not..." Shunta answered, moving farther from the two and closer to 'Hamuko'. "I already don't like this delinquent hobo!" he whispered beside her ear, though she decided to just keep quiet about it.

"So... about this morning... We have something to talk about..." Shinjiro suddenly spoke, changing the subject. He approached the blue-haired boy, who was now laughing nervously.

"Ahaha... About that... Look I was- Ow! Ow! Not the ear! Ouch! Hamu-chan! Help me...! Ow...!" Before he finished speaking, the brunette pulled him by his ear into the kitchen. Shunta's cry for help began to waver and was soon forgotten. Now, only the two, Castor and 'Hamuko', were left in the room.

"... I hope Shun-sama lives after this..." the girl muttered worriedly, but loud enough for Castor to hear.

"He'll be fine. That guy may be rough, but he's definitely not the type to beat the shit out of kids," Castor assured her.

"Well, if you're the one saying it, then I guess he's safe." 'Hamuko' smiled at him in relief.

The male Persona blushed and looked away. "Whatever..." he answered weakly. "Now, go to sleep. Staying up this late is bad for your health, c'mon..." he continued, patting her head before heading upstairs.

'Hamuko' watched as he disappeared in the dark. She smiled and gave the kitchen door a final glance before following Castor from behind...

"One and the same huh...?" she mumbled as she kept her eyes on the ground...

* * *

><p>"Hmmm... This is starting to get out of hand... Alright, I'm on it."<p>

"Thanks, Aki. I'll be waiting for the result. "

"No problem... Err... Shinji, you sound different... Has anything happened?"

"... No... nothing. You're thinking too much. I-I'm off..."

"H-hey! Shin- *beep*"

Before Akihiko finished, the man put the phone down and turned away.

"Castor! We need help here!" the female called out from afar.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" he answered in annoyance as he grabbed the apron from the table and headed off toward the kitchen...

* * *

><p><strong>So? What the hell just happened? Well, more stuff will be explained in later chapters. Like who is this Yuki... Or what happened after 'Hamuko' dragged in Castor... Or where the hell Shunta has been to.<strong>

**It took me really long just to finish this cause I had a hard time figuring out how to insert all the scenes I wanted... Though in the end, they're not all here, but I guess this is the closest it can get ^^"**

**Oh yeah, and Minato is actually the reason why I went with 'Hamuko' instead of Minako... Cause I thought it might be weird for them to have almost similar names despite being unrelated (or are they?_). Plus, it might get confusing XD  
><strong>

**Reviews are highly appreciated =D  
><strong>

**(P.S. Check the poll in my profile pls.?)**

**********-Persona 3 and any SMT series does not belong to me-**********


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